A longstanding disagreement between a developer and his neighbor was resolved last week by the Bingham Township Planning Commission.

Developer Wayne Kiley and neighbor Martin Pierman have disagreed for nearly a year on exactly how a vegetative buffer should be constructed between the new “Bayview Pines” housing development and the Pierman property. A requirement for buffering had been one of the conditions attached to planning commission approval of Kiley’s plans – but the requirement apparently wasn’t stated clearly enough, officials said.

Bingham Planning Commission members visited the site during a special meeting last month, and this week decided how the issue should be resolved, according to staff planner Rochelle Rollenhagen. They specified that Kiley should plant at least six additional trees along the property line, maintain open space between the two properties in a “natural” condition, and move heavy equipment out of the area by Oct. 31.

Bayview Pines is a new residential development located along M-22 at Spyglass Ridge Drive.

In other business at its regular monthly meeting Oct. 5, the Bingham Township Planning Commission continued a discussion about its plan to draft a new “Agricultural Tourism” section to be included the township’s zoning ordinance.

Rollenhagen explained that almost all of Bingham Township’s interior is zoned for agricultural use, but that an increasing number of homes are being constructed in the agriculture district. To enhance “agricultural tourism” activities, Rollenhagen said the township may need to rezone residential areas in the agriculture district to “rural residential.”

“We currently do not have a rural residential district in Bingham Township,” Rollenhagen said, “but this is something we should create simultaneously with new zoning ordinance language addressing agricultural tourism.”

She said planners may consider draft language next month but hope to hear from the public about their ideas before acting. Rollenhagen said the Bingham Township Planning Commission has tentatively set a special hearing on Dec. 6 to solicit “agricultural tourism” ideas from the public.