Twp. may pay for decision

To the editor:

After months of delay, four Leland Township Planning Commissioners voted to deny Youth for Christ use of a building in Leland’s commercial district.

That vote is troubling not just because of the result, but because of the legal warnings that came before it. A March 17 legal memorandum said attorney Tom Grier’s draft proposed order found that Youth for Christ’s proposed use fit the zoning ordinance and qualified as a “club.” It also warned that a denial could expose the township to serious constitutional and civil-rights claims, along with major legal costs.