Open house on proposed Eagle Township ‘megaplant’ draws hundreds

EAGLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WILX) - It’s a fight to keep a factory off farmland. Hundreds of people showed up to an open house Thursday to share their opinions about a proposed “mega manufacturing complex” just a few miles north of Grand Ledge.

Clinton County and Eagle Township organized an open house to give information and get feedback. Ten poster boards were set up to explain the possible impacts of the development, and surveys were passed out to get citizens’ perspectives.

Dennis Strahle is an Eagle Township trustee and long-time resident. He’s been opposed to the mega-factory since the board first heard of the possibility a year ago.

“It just does not fit in our township. It’s not what the people want, it’s not what the township can handle,” Strahle said. “It’s not set up for it with the infrastructure, sewer, water, utilities, we’re a farming community.”

An outside firm was hired to study the potential impacts of the development, and their results were made available Thursday. There is no specific manufacturer at this point, but the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) is recruiting potential companies.

“We’ve launched a website with frequently asked questions, to try and answer some of those, it seems like lack of information,” said Keith Lambert, with LEAP. “And so we’re trying to be more and more transparent, and get a lot of information out there. You know this is the very first stage of all this.”

Most people only learned of the potential factory after hearing their neighbors were asked to sell land. LEAP has secured agreements with 11 property owners in Eagle. Clinton County residents said they feel ambushed by the state of Michigan’s efforts to bring semiconductor plants to the state.

Strahle said Thursday’s open house was the biggest turnout he’s ever seen for Eagle Township politics.

If you’d like to share your input and weren’t able to attend, you have one week to do so online. You can find the survey here.

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