Scio Township recently approved two conditional uses that should bring some new helpful services to the community. One was for a new Cell Tower to be located off of W. Delhi Road and the other a Daycare at the 2|42 Community Church.

The Sun Times News asked outgoing township supervisor Will Hathaway about these two decisions and he said, “Both of these actions will help provide much needed services in Scio Township.”

At the Nov. 12 meeting, the Scio Township Board approved the Maxey Cell Tower project’s conditional use request, with some conditions. According to township planners, the applicant was requesting a conditional land use approval to construct a 180-foot monopole telecommunication tower on a vacant property located on W. Delhi Road.

It’s planned to be located in the northern area of the township on a 64-acre vacant parcel located west of W. Delhi Road and east of the Huron River.

Two of the conditions on the approval ask the applicant to submit a site plan that includes a Class C private road or seek and receive a variance regarding the private road standards and if they do seek a private road variance, they will need to provide the Zoning Board of Appeals with additional information regarding stormwater management and the preservation of trees.

In her report to the board, township planner Laura Kreps said, “The tower will enhance current cellular service for Verizon Wireless in this area of the Township and is capable to provide two (2) additional antenna locations in addition to Verizon for collocation. In addition to the tower, a fenced compound is proposed to surround the ancillary ground equipment. An existing drive off of W. Delhi will be utilized to access the site. The application is for conditional use approval, if approved, the applicant will seek site plan approval by the Planning Commission and Township Board as a second step in the review/approval process.”

The plan says the tower/compound is surrounded by forest with the nearest resident being over 1,000 feet away.

For the daycare, the township board also approved the request at the Nov. 12 meeting. Township planners said the request was for a conditional land use approval for daycare use. Planners said the 2|42 Community Church, located at 648 S. Wagner Road, was previously approved as a conditional use as part of a mixed-use development within the Jackson Road Overlay District overlay district.

Township planners said, “The addition of daycare facilities is an expansion of the previous conditional use approval for the church facility. As the applicant is not proposing any external changes to the site, a conditional land use review by the Planning Commission and the Township Board will be the only review done for this proposal. This will be the only time the Planning Commission will review this proposal.”

In getting to this point, the church had been built with repurposing of the existing building #3 on the Gelman campus for a 50,000 square foot facility containing an 851-seat worship center, community center (featuring athletic fields and children’s play area), and on-site parking. Planners said the site is 26.24 acres.

For the daycare plan, township planners said the only modification to the existing layout of site is the addition of a 1,000 square foot play area that will be fenced at the rear (west) side of the existing structure adjacent to the daycare portion of the building. Planners said a stacking area has also been demonstrated within the existing parking lot demonstrating vehicle queuing for pick up/drop off at the daycare entrance. The daycare will provide care for a maximum of 150 students between the ages of 6 weeks and 12 years and with an anticipated staff of 20 teachers.