Civil and Municipal - Jan 22

75 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 City of Belleville and has just about everything you could want. Close to different larger communities – we’re connected by water, by highways – yet so many people grow up here and decide to stay and raise their families here. It’s a place where everyone feels like friends and neighbors.” The Township also has Wayne County’s second largest airport, Willow Run, which houses the Yankee Air Museum and historical sites where, for instance, Rosie the Riveter was working. All this fascinating past history is intertwined with today’s industrial growth in the American Center for Mobility, which is next to the airport and has a huge campus that includes the manufacturing of electric vehicles. Van Buren has a very diverse housing stock in development, thanks to a master plan that was created in 1989 and updated in November 2020. The bones of the original plan were kept, where the top third of the Township is left as an industrial area, another third is for residential housing, and the bottom third is reserved for ‘the lake life’ that has some homes but is also the rural community. Farmers live and work the land in that lower third, raise horses, etc. So, while the Township is divided, that’s really a draw for people to live and do business. It’s no secret that Parks and Recreation is a key driver for Van Buren Township’s future and at the top of the community’s wish list. According to Zaenglein, “It’s a great time for us. Right now we’re in the planning phases for a new community center. We’re also in phase one of renovations at our French Landing park – there’s been a lot of upgrades including walkways and a new pavilion that screams ‘Let’s have a family party, come out and have fun!’ Phase two will have a boardwalk/dock for fishing, we’re also hoping for a kayak and canoe launch. The renovations are very important to draw more people to French Landing to participate in a variety of outdoor recreational activities VAN BUREN TOWNSHI P , MI CHIGAN