By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland Planning Commission will hold a second and final vote tonight on the request by Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition to rezone two residential properties on East Main Avenue to industrial use as part of the company’s plans to modernize its infant formula manufacturing facility.
Commissioners will meet at 5:45 p.m. in the main floor banquet room of the City on a Hill ministry center, 100 S. Pine St. They will vote on a resolution to recommend the City Council approve rezoning the parcel at 633 E. Main Ave. from R-2 single-family and two-family residential to I-2 general industrial and the property at 605 E. Main from R-3 two-family and multiple-family residential to I-2.
The meeting will be held at City on a Hill because the main floor banquet room at the Howard Miller Community Center, where previous meetings on the Reckitt/Mead Johnson project have been held, was not available, City Manager Tim Klunder said.
Commissioners on June 25 gave preliminary approval to their rezoning recommendation for the two properties, voting 7-0 in favor of rezoning the 633 E. Main site and 6-1 recommending rezoning of the 605 E. Main site, which is currently occupied by Cityside Townhouses. If the Planning Commission approves the resolution tonight, it will then go to the City Council for final action on July 21.
Reckitt/Mead Johnson has proposed an $836 million investment into its facility at 725 E. Main Ave., where infant formula has been produced for 101 years. The company has proposed a preliminary site plan calling for construction of about 350,000 square feet of new office and manufacturing space. Mead Johnson officials have said the modernization project is necessary for the company to continue operating in Zeeland.
Project opponents have objected to the Mead Johnson plan, saying it will have a negative impact on nearby residential neighborhoods. Supporters say it keeps a major local taxpayer and employer in the city, with nearly 500 employees currently working at the plant. Mead Johnson is the third-largest taxpayer in the city behind Consumers Energy and Gentex Corporation, according to city tax records.
Mead Johnson purchased the 633 E. Main property on Dec. 30, 2024 at a cost of $1.5 million and the 605 E. Main property May 15 for $2.95 million, according to city and county property records.
If the rezoning is approved, Mead Johnson would then go through a site plan review process with the Planning Commission.
The July 21 City Council meeting will be held in the Les Hoogland Banquet Room on the main floor of the Howard Miller Community Center, with a work session at 6 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7 p.m.
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland Planning Commission will hold a second and final vote tonight on the request by Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition to rezone two residential properties on East Main Avenue to industrial use as part of the company’s plans to modernize its infant formula manufacturing facility.
Commissioners will meet at 5:45 p.m. in the main floor banquet room of the City on a Hill ministry center, 100 S. Pine St. They will vote on a resolution to recommend the City Council approve rezoning the parcel at 633 E. Main Ave. from R-2 single-family and two-family residential to I-2 general industrial and the property at 605 E. Main from R-3 two-family and multiple-family residential to I-2.
The meeting will be held at City on a Hill because the main floor banquet room at the Howard Miller Community Center, where previous meetings on the Reckitt/Mead Johnson project have been held, was not available, City Manager Tim Klunder said.
Commissioners on June 25 gave preliminary approval to their rezoning recommendation for the two properties, voting 7-0 in favor of rezoning the 633 E. Main site and 6-1 recommending rezoning of the 605 E. Main site, which is currently occupied by Cityside Townhouses. If the Planning Commission approves the resolution tonight, it will then go to the City Council for final action on July 21.
Reckitt/Mead Johnson has proposed an $836 million investment into its facility at 725 E. Main Ave., where infant formula has been produced for 101 years. The company has proposed a preliminary site plan calling for construction of about 350,000 square feet of new office and manufacturing space. Mead Johnson officials have said the modernization project is necessary for the company to continue operating in Zeeland.
Project opponents have objected to the Mead Johnson plan, saying it will have a negative impact on nearby residential neighborhoods. Supporters say it keeps a major local taxpayer and employer in the city, with nearly 500 employees currently working at the plant. Mead Johnson is the third-largest taxpayer in the city behind Consumers Energy and Gentex Corporation, according to city tax records.
Mead Johnson purchased the 633 E. Main property on Dec. 30, 2024 at a cost of $1.5 million and the 605 E. Main property May 15 for $2.95 million, according to city and county property records.
If the rezoning is approved, Mead Johnson would then go through a site plan review process with the Planning Commission.
The July 21 City Council meeting will be held in the Les Hoogland Banquet Room on the main floor of the Howard Miller Community Center, with a work session at 6 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7 p.m.
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