The Leland Township Board approved trading riverfront parcels along Chandler Street in Leland with Varley-Kelly Properties at a special meeting April 22.

The board unanimously voted to trade a township-owned 50-foot wide parcel with frontage on the Leland River for a similar width parcel owned by Varley-Kelly on the south-end of the county property in Leland. By exchanging the parcels, James Varley and Gene Kelly would gain a solid block of riverfront parcels for the 2.2-acre property, which they hope to receive approval for a 23-unit planned unit development called Rivertown.

The swap would only take place upon approval of the Rivertown project by the township and county, as well as the purchase of the county-owned property in Leland.

The parcel swap and placing a Type 1 community well in Hancock Park were two issues the board considered at the special meeting. The meeting was originally meant as a joint gathering with the township Planning Commission and Sewer Commission to review the proposed new Master Plan. That matter was handled first, before the Township Board considered the Varley-Kelly request and Lake Street issue.

The board asked Varley to bring to its next meeting the probable location of a test well on the Hancock Park property and any up-to-date information on whether the state Department of Environmental Quality will require a Type 1 well.

Varley said the township will gain a larger parcel in square footage with the swap. The township parcel is 2,575 square-feet in size, while the Varley-Kelly parcel is 4,825 square-feet. As part of the agreement, the township will place a conservation easement on the parcel it receives that will require the parcel to remain as open space with a fence and a dock along the shoreline the only structures allowed. A drainage area will run along the south-side of the parcel. A standpipe to pump water for fire trucks will be relocated to the parcel.

Trustee Nick Lederle said he was concerned that the township could be limiting its options at the Leland fire hall by swapping the two riverfront parcels. The township’s emergency response facilities committee is investigating the fire and rescue department’s future needs, including location of fire stations. One option township officials discussed prior to forming the committee was swapping the township-owned riverfront parcel for one or two lots Varley-Kelly owns adjacent to the Leland fire hall.

Supervisor Harry Larkin said the township could still ask for a swap using their new riverfront parcel, if the board decides expanding the Leland fire hall is the way to go for future needs.

Trustee Steve Plamondon asked Varley if they would consider giving the township right of first refusal for the lots adjacent to the Leland fire hall. Varley said that option may be there, but there would be a cost.

As to locating the Type 1 water well system at Hancock, Varley said they would want to install tje test well outside the centerfield fence of the baseball diamond. Due to known contamination spots at the county property, Varley-Kelly needs to place the Type 1 system a minimum of 2,000 feet from the nearest contamination site. Varley said they believe the location at Hancock will work, even though it is less than 2,000 feet from the nearest contamination because of the direction of ground water flow and terrain.

A Type I system consists of two wells – the main well and a back-up well, located 75 feet apart. The wells must also be located a in a spot with a 200-foot clear space around them as well. The proposed well location would be west of Juniper Trail, which runs along the east and southern boundary of the park.

Township officials have not yet discussed what, if any, kind of compensation they would want for allowing a developer to place a water well on public land for use by a private development. Larkin said the topic has not been broached by either side, noting there is considerable community support for the Rivertown project. He said the swap of parcels could also be considered as part of the township’s compensation for locating the water wells at Hancock. He said the original township parcel was assessed at $125,000 and the south-end 50-foot parcel Varley-Kelly had was half of the former Enterprise building, which was assessed at $900,000. The 50-foot parcel had an approximate assessed value of $450,000.

But, as Larkin said during the discussion concerning the Leland fire hall, restrictions being placed on the south-end parcel – a conservation easement and making it a public space – probably take away some of that value.

Plamondon asked Varley to consider making the test well a five-inch well, instead of a two-inch, so the township could use it for a sprinkler system for baseball and softball diamonds. Varley said that option could be considered.