With just 130 “yes” votes cast yesterday to 365 “no” votes, Solon Township Clerk Shirley Mikowski confirms that voters rejected the Township Board’s approval of a request to rezone 20 acres in Solon Township from Agricultural/Conservation to Business 2 (B-2).

The Solon Township Board’s November 2020 rezoning decision — which would have given the green light for new commercial development activity near M-72 — came on the heels of an October 2020 recommendation from the Solon Township Planning Commission to deny the rezoning.

The parcel in question is located just north of M-72 on the west side of Lautner Road. Property owners Bob and Judy Robinson said their goal was to create a business park of sorts that would expand an existing development across Lautner Road on a cluster of existing B-2 parcels. The Robinsons said the 20 acres are not prime farmland — hence the Township Board’s willingness to rezone it in the first place — and that the new business park would have added needed tax revenue to the township.

Neighboring property owners and other township residents took issue with the rezoning, arguing it ignored the Planning Commission’s recommendation, and that any commercial development in the area would affect the look and character of a key gateway to Leelanau County. Douglas Fierberg, who owns a property that abuts the Robinson land, formed an advocacy group called “Save our Area’s Natural Terrain and Agriculture” (SANTA) to pursue a referendum on the Township Board decision, and secured the number of signatures required to put the zoning change to a public vote yesterday.