Morton Township Residents
for Responsible Development
April 7, 2025 Update
Attorney Letter and Supporting Traffic Report sent to ZBA
​​
Our attorneys at Rhoades McKee have prepared an analysis of the Application by Bollman Investment Properties noting the many inconsistencies relating to zoning and variances along with the impact this project will have on the community.
The Standards typically evaluated by the ZBA are discussed in depth as they apply to this Application. These have delivered in a letter along with supporting documentation to Morton Township's ZBA.
​​
April 1, 2025 Update
ZBA Public Hearing Thurs. April 17th: 5:30 PM Mecosta Elementary School - PLEASE ATTEND!
​​
What can you do?
​
(1) Come to the ZBA Public hearing!
(2) Tell everyone you know about this.
(3) Email the ZBA members with your thoughts at: ZBA@mortontownship.org
​(4) ​​​​If you still have your NO RV PARK sign, please put them out as soon as April 3rd. Morton Township reserves the right to pull any signs that violate their rules. They are actively patrolling our signs. Please make sure:​​
​
-
Signs may not be placed in road right of way. For most streets/roads, this means no closer than 33 ft. from center of road.
-
Signs can only be out for 14 days at a time. If yours is out for 14 days, pull it for 1 day and then place it out again.
-
Use a temporary method to write the date the sign was placed on the sign (dry erase marker, paper with writing taped to sign, etc.).
-
No signs allowed in Canadian Lakes.
​
If you need a sign, please email us at MTRFRD.org@gmail.com.
​
​
March 9, 2025
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Documents Received from Township - Please review these documents, email the Township with your thoughts, and put out your NO RV PARK yard signs ASAP!
​
As requested by a concerned citizen, the documents from the Bollman/Freshwater Hospitality Consulting's latest attempt regarding the proposed RV Mega Park were received from the Township. Click the button below to review the developer's ZBA appeal application and all supporting documentation:
​
​​
​
The developer is not appealing the Township Board of Trustees earlier decision to deny the developer's conditional rezoning request. Rather, the developer is appealing the language of the zoning ordinance itself. Specifically, the developer is appealing the language of Section 12.2 of the zoning ordinance, which has been excerpted HERE with editorial highlighting by MTRFRD. The developer is requesting to be rezoned from R1 and A2 to Campground. Furthermore, the developer is requesting that if they are allowed to rezone as Campground, the 3 sites/acre allowed in the current Campground zoning category be increased to 5.45 sites per acre. They want to cram 246 sites onto this property!​​
March 9, 2025
ZBA Special Meeting Results
The ZBA Special Meeting held on Mar. 5th was well attended with over 40 members of the public present.
As indicated, the meeting was brief and included approval of minutes from the last time the ZBA met in 2024.
Michael Burnard was elected Chairman of the ZBA. The Bollman request was tabled pending election of two additional ZBA members.
If you are a Township elector residing in Morton Township and are interested in becoming a ZBA member or serving on any committee, send your information and interest to Mark Klumpp, Township Supervisor at:
These potential new members will be presented to the Board of Trustees for their consideration, discussion and appointment at next week's meeting which will be held on March 11th at 9:00 AM at the Township offices. PLEASE ATTEND. THERE IS POWER IN NUMBERS!
The ZBA members are appointed for three year terms that are staggered to ensure continuity, The two new appointees will serve in a temporary capacity until the Bollman project has been heard, discussed and voted on.
March 2, 2025
URGENT! Proposed RV Park Developers Appeal to Morton Township's Zoning Board of Appeals
Morton Township Residents for Responsible Development (MTRFRD) has learned that the Developer of the RV Park is appealing the Township's decision to Deny the Conditional Rezoning Request of last year.
We are in the process of obtaining the documents via Freedom of Information (FOIA) and will publish those on the MTRFRD site when received. Related to this issue, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is holding a special meeting Wed. Mar. 5th at 5:30 PM at the Township Hall. Details below. Your attendance is encouraged.
Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) – Notice of Special Meeting:
The Morton Township Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a special meeting on March 5, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at the Township Hall, 290 W. Main Street, Mecosta, Michigan. The only business to be considered will be to table the application of Bollman Investment Properties for a use and/or dimensional variance to allow a campground and RV Resort. This is being done in order to allow the Township Board to appoint alternate members to the ZBA to serve in place of regular members who by statute are ineligible to consider the request because they had previously participated in and voted upon matters involving the same property and matter concerned in the variance request.
A public hearing will be scheduled and notice given after alternate members have been appointed. ​​​​
Morton Township Board of Trustees Denies the Bollman/Freshwater Conditional Rezoning Request!
Thank you to the entire Morton Township Board of Trustees for denying the RV Mark Park conditional rezoning request! The board of trustees voted 4-0 at their annual meeting on June 11th to deny the Bollman/Freshwater Consulting application for conditional rezoning of the 44 acre parcel on 105th and St. Ives. While the fight may not be over yet, depending on the developer's next action, we are encouraged that the process of citizen input was successful with both the Planning Commission and the Board of Trustees.
​
Our next focus will be the Township's Master Plan, which is currently being revised. The process of creating a new master plan will take several months and MTRFRD plans to stay involved in the process every step of the way. A solid master plan will be vital to preserving the essential character of our community and its natural resources, while still providing for appropriate and responsible development.
Board of Trustees Meeting TUES JUNE 11th 5:30 Mecosta Elementary School
Following the PC's UNANIMOUS decision to recommend DENIAL of the Bollman/Freshwater RV Park conditional rezoning application, the Board of Trustees will consider the developer's conditional rezoning request on Tues. June 11th at 5:30 PM at Mecosta Elementary School. We need EVERYONE to show up at this meeting; even more than the nearly 300 who attended the May 15th public hearing. The board may make a decision at this meeting, so please plan to attend and participate during the public comment time if you can. EVEN IF YOU ALREADY COMMUNICATED YOUR OPPOSITION TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION, PLEASE DO SO AGAIN ASAP TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. ONLY ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS IS ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION (MR. RATLEDGE), SO IT IS LIKELY THAT THE FULL BOARD HAS NOT SEEN YOUR OPPOSITION COMMUNICATION. Letters should be mailed or dropped off to the township hall this week if possible. Emails should be sent this week to:
​
​
IMPORTANT: Make sure to put "To the Entire Morton Township Board of Trustees" in both your subject line (emails) and salutation line (emails and letters). Specifically address the "RV PARK" in your communication so that the clerk knows to share the contents of your letter/email with the full board.
​
FRONT PAGE of Big Rapids Pioneer
​
Opposition to the proposed RV Mega Park made the front page of the Big Rapids Pioneer on May 21st.
Link to full article is below this notice. The Pioneer reporter didn't include the name of the "concerned citizen" who opposed a zoning issue in 2019. Ironically, that citizen was none other than Pat Bollman. Excerpt from the article:
​
"Resident Sandy Brogan reminded the planners that in 2019 a request for a special land use permit for a brew pub on property zoned AG was already approved by the planning commission when one resident spoke out in opposition to the project during the public hearing.
​
“The review was made in front of a largely supportive audience, however, there was opposition to the plan from one citizen who stated that the nature of the brew pub was, ‘inconsistent with the character of the surrounding community and the increased traffic, noise and light would disrupt the lives of the people that live there.' The concerned citizen went on to say that we have hundreds of acres of undeveloped property and ‘to plunk this thing in the middle of a residential area is a terrible idea.’"
​
Yard Signs Available!
Contact us if you still need a yard sign.
​
If you place a yard sign by your road, please make sure to do the following:
​
-
Sign cannot be placed in the road right of way, so no closer than 33 ft from the center of the road
-
Please mark your sign with the date placed in your yard. We suggest using a dry erase marker so that it can be changed later.
-
Signs may only be displayed in the yard for 2 weeks at a time. Please pull them after two weeks, leave off the yard for a day, then put them out again for another 2 weeks with a new date written on them.
​
The township has the right to confiscate any sign not legally placed.
