Original article by Erin Bowling, January 24, 2023
Eagle Township prepping land for ‘mega’ factory
1,400 acres being made ready for possible manufacturer
Eagle Township, Mich. (WILX) - Turning farmland into factories, that’s what has some Clinton County residents concerned Tuesday. Just south of I-96 in Eagle township, 1,400 acres of farmland are being prepped for a large factory.
“Just the other day, I said to my son that we won’t be moving again because this is our forever home,” said Kristina Dawkins.
Dawkins doesn’t want to move, but fears that she might have to. The Dawkins family just moved to Eagle for peace and quiet.
“The culture of the agricultural community in Eagle, is at risk,” said Dawkins.
Purchase agreements are in place for a possible manufacturing site. Some Eagle residents started attending government meetings to voice their concerns.
“We asked a lot of questions, we got no answers, we got a lot of run around,” said Courina Feldpausch.
We don’t know what will come, but we do know that officials are prepping the land to become industrialized. They are working to make the land “attractive” to potential developers. That includes gathering properties and completing initial surveys of the land and community.
“We believe that this is going to be one of the best mega-sites,” said Quentin Messer, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
The Lansing Economic Area Partnership said the proposed site is ideal due to its size and location. They hope to bring jobs to the county through a possible vehicle battery or chip plant.
“To make Michigan as competitive as it possibly can. and having ready sites, for transformative opportunities, is critically important,” said Messer.
Eagle Township officials did not respond to requests for comment. Residents have begun to organize after feeling their concerns have been ignored.
“We are hoping to get the word out to everybody, that if we take action maybe we can stop it,” said Feldpausch.
Feldpausch started a Facebook group for members of the community that share her viewpoint. It’s called ‘Stop the mega site, Eagle MI’
There will be a presentation and discussion on the proposed factory site on March 2. It’s hosted by Eagle Township at their town hall, but it may relocate to fit a larger crowd.