top of page
Writer's pictureEagleMichMegasite

1-31-23—Eagle Township residents organize to protest mega site development, Lansing State Journal


Eagle Township residents organize to protest mega site development


EAGLE TOWNSHIP − Opposition is organizing against an effort to develop a 1,400-acre mega site that business leaders envision as a multi-billion dollar high-tech campus in rural Eagle Township.


Residents living near the site in Clinton County are preparing to share their concerns and vision for the land, which state officials and local business leaders are marketing to microchip and electric battery makers as well as similar large-scale companies.


The township and county will host a 4 p.m. March 2 public meeting at the Eagle Park Fairgrounds on Grange Road to hear from people like Cori Feldpausch, who is helping critics organize at the Facebook page "Stop the Mega Site, Eagle MI" to preserve the farmland between the Grand Ledge airport and Interstate 96.

It's the first time in more than a decade that the county has scheduled a meeting near where the changes would happen instead of in a council room, said Doug Riley, the county's planning director.


Feldpausch said she wants her grandkids to enjoy growing up in a rural community, ducking into the woods, chasing squirrels, and farming, if they choose to, as adults.


She said a large chip manufacturing plant would change Eagle Township and "this is not what we want for our grandkids to live with 10 years from now."


Feldpausch said she would like to see the site get multiple uses including a school with some agriculture education. In her mind, it could also be a place to put solar panels, which are being rejected elsewhere.

The site has been publicly marketed since at least fall. It's one of three large Michigan parcels with more than 1,000 acres that come with financial incentives to be developed. The property is owned primarily by Michigan State University and marketed by Lansing Area Economic Partnership, which tries to steer development in the region.



"There is no development application for the mega site," said Riley, the county's planning director. "What we are processing was Eagle Township's request to amend the county plan and future land use."



The county planning commission could vote on changing the master plan as early as April. If it approves the changes, the changes could come back to the full county board during a July session. Both of those changes would include public comment, Riley said.

Robert Showers, chairperson of the Clinton County Board of Commissioners, said he remains undecided about rezoning the site and will review the process. He said the county is required by law to consider requested planning changes, since the county handles zoning and planning for many of its municipalities, including Eagle Township.


While some farmers and township residents are preparing for a fight, Victoria Meadows, LEAP's chief strategic officer, noted the site's development might be embraced by others who want high paying jobs and the benefits of a major employer.


There is a need for chips in the U.S. Most are made in Taiwan, according to Meadows, who added that only 10% of chips are made in the U.S. and building them on shore could help the economy and reduce supply chain problems. Incentive funds from the state and federal government, intended to shore up supply chains and get a foothold in modern industries, may not last, she said.

Meadows said Michigan's mega sites are capturing attention. She shared data that chip, battery and other tech companies conducted about 100 site searches in 2022, looking at places where they could build in Michigan, and about one-third of them were intense looks, or "deep visits."


"Big jobs, big investment and high technology," she said. "Despite our best and remarkable efforts, we finished in second place three times. In part, because we did not have a site ready."


Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or on Twitter @MikeEllis_AIM

16 views
bottom of page