The Youth for Christ (YFC) appeal process will finally move forward in Leland Township this month. The township’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) has announced a Wednesday, September 23 meeting date for its first public hearing on the matter, which will take place at 6:30pm at Leland Public School.

Apollos Properties LLC, the owner and landlord at 110 North Lake Street in downtown Leland, has been seeking a special use permit to allow a YFC branch to operate there. The Leland Township Planning Commission voted on April 15 to deny that permit, following months of meetings and deliberations. The ZBA is now seeking public comment on the appeal before moving forward with deliberations on whether or not the planning commission’s decision should be overturned.

This particular public hearing was initially scheduled for Thursday, July 30, but was delayed indefinitely because Leland’s ZBA lacked enough members to have a voting quorum. In the interim, Apollos Properties has filed a lawsuit against Leland Township, claiming the planning commission’s decision represents a violation of its constitutional religious rights.

Lee Cory, planning commission chair, has pushed back against those claims, noting to The Ticker last week that the planning commission “never discussed religion, churches, or religious institutions” in its deliberations “because they were not applicable.” The planning commission’s denial, she said, came down to zoning, and to the question of “whether YFC is the type of club” that could be permitted in the village commercial zone where 110 North Lake Street is located.