The proposed golf and business complex in Canton Township is on hold following the denial of a wetlands permit by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
The permit, necessary to any construction or development at the Interstate 75 and Ford Road site, was based on an objection from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which found the project did not comply with the Clean Water Act: adverse environmental impacts and an unacceptable disruption to aquatic resources; the project was not deemed to be in the public interest and the applicant did not prove that feasible and prudent alternatives to wetland destruction were unavailable, according to a Feb. 19 formal denial from EGLE. The denial cited significant environmental concerns and the applicant’s failure to meet federal and state regulations in the proposed Topgolf facility which includes parking and two fast-food restaurants.
An objection from the Michigan Environmental Protection Agency was issued in December and allowed the developer 90-days to respond. The February denial from EGLE indicated that no response had been submitted from the developer, Broder Sachse Real Estate.
Canton officials said the project remains in limbo and there has been no contact from the developer. If there is no appeal or revised application for the permits, the project could be permanently halted. The wetland permit was crucial to the Topgolf portion of the project as there was access from Ford Road to the north portion of the site that crossed wetlands, officials said.
Consideration by members of the Canton Township Board of Trustees has halted. Among the materials still outstanding are revisions to the planned development agreement, easement details, and updated plan sheets.
Sally Petrella, a watershed ecologist with Friends of the Rouge, said the organization is strongly in favor of the denial of the permit. She said the proposed Topgolf project would destroy 7.12 acres of forested and scrub shrub wetland in a county that has already lost 90 percent of its original wetlands. Wetlands, she added, provide essential ecosystem services including flood mitigation, water filtration, and biodiversity support.
The denial has also been favored by the Detroit Bird Alliance, the Michigan Land Conservancy and the Wayne County Conservation District.
