Public Notices

The Open Meetings Act (OMA) of Michigan requires notice to be given before a meeting is held and requires minutes to be prepared as a record of actions taken at the meeting.  Perhaps most imprtantly, the OMA is the source of requirement that all votes of a public body must be made public.

Lawrence Township complies with the OMA by posting notices of meetings at three locations:  Lawrence Community Services Building (Fire Station), Lawrence Post Office, Lawrence Township Hall (near the Business Office door).  In addition, public notices are posted to this website.

NOTICE OF LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS REGULAR MEETING

TO BE HELD ELECTRONICALLY TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP

VAN BUREN COUNTY, MICHIGAN

To:       The residents and property owners of Lawrence Township, Van Buren County, Michigan, and any other interested parties.

Please take notice that a regular meeting of the Lawrence Township Zoning Board of Appeals will be held on September 14, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. To prevent the spread COVID-19, this meeting will be held by electronic remote access without in-person attendance.  If electronic remote access and participation is not allowed at the time of the meeting, it will be held in-person at 411 N. Paw Paw St., Lawrence, MI  49064.  Further, the Zoning Board of Appeals may meet in person at 411 N. Paw Paw St., Lawrence, MI  49064 while allowing the public to participate remotely if permitted by law.  In the event the Zoning Board of Appeals meets in person, the public will still not be allowed access to the building do to COVID-19.

The purpose of this special meeting is to consider and take action on the following:

1. Consideration of the request of Mike and Mary Craig, 5907 W. 109 Street, Chicago Ridge, IL 60415 for a variance of up to 17-feet from the 50-foot setback requirement to allow for the demolition of the existing dwelling and construction of a dwelling that will be located up to 33’ feet from the roadside; and, up to a 5-foot variance from the required 10-foot side-yard setback on west side of the property addressed as 48031 Prospect Street, Lawrence, MI 49064 (“subject property”), Parcel Identification No. 80-13-130-001-02. The subject property is located in the R-3 Waterfront Residential District Zoning Classification and is approximately .2 acres in size. The criteria for review of a request for a variance are contained in Article 5, §1-5.5 of the Township Zoning Ordinance.

To join the meeting remotely, you may phone in or participate online.

For best performance, please download the desktop or mobile app for Free Conference Call (FCC).

              https://join.freeconferencecall.com/clerk060

Online meeting ID: clerk060

The public may also participate by calling into the phone numbers below:

 non-toll free number (760) 548-9303

toll free (844) 854-2222 and providing access code 475629#          

Under MCL 125.3502, a public hearing on the special land use request may be requested by any property owner or the occupant of any structure located within 300 feet of the property being considered for a special land use regardless of whether the property or occupant is located in the zoning jurisdiction.  Regardless to any request, a hearing is set for the above date, time, and place. You may submit written comments at the address below up to 7 days before the hearing.

Members of the public will only be able to speak at the meeting during the public comment portion of the meeting and such comment will be limited to two minutes per person. To provide for orderly public comment, a person wishing to speak during public comment must state their name and request to be recognized by the Moderator. The Moderator will recognize all persons wishing to speak during public comment.  If, prior to the meeting, members of the public have certain questions or wish to provide input on any business that will be addressed at the meeting then such persons may contact the Township Zoning Board of Appeals members by emailing the Township Clerk at the email address below or by mailing to PO BOX 445, Lawrence, MI 49064. A copy of the meeting materials and any agenda may be found on the link on the Township’s homepage at www.lawrence-township.org.

This notice is posted in compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Public Act 267 of 1976, as amended, (MCL 41.72a(2)(3)) and the Americans With Disabilities Act.  The Township will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities at the meeting upon reasonable advance notice by contacting the Township Clerk, by email, phone, or mail at the below.

A copy of the applications and this notice will be on file at the Township Hall, 411 N. Paw Paw St., Lawrence, MI 49064, (269) 674-4255.   To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the office is closed to the public. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Kim Thompson, Township Clerk  

411 N. Paw Paw St.

Lawrence, MI 49064
Phone (269) 674-4255

Email clerk@lawrence-township.org

PEDDLERS/SOLICITORS PERMIT REQUIRED

With summer on its way, we will begin to see Peddlers/Door-to-Door Sales persons in our community, once the Stay-at-Home orders are lifted.

Lawrence Township requires these persons to have a Solicitor/Peddler permit issued by the Township Board prior to beginning such activities in the township. 

Part of the permit process is to validate with the parent company that the person IS an employee and to perform a background check to ensure that our neighbors are safe.

If you are approached in your home or the community by any of these persons, ask to see their Township issued permit.  If they are unable to produce one, ask them to leave and inform them that they MUST obtain a permit or they are not allowed to solicit in our community.
 

Please get as much information as possible (vehicle description, name of individual, license plate, picture of vehicle, etc.) and notify Lawrence Township by sending an email to supervisor@lawrence-township.org or calling 269-674-4255. 

If they refuse to leave your property, call 911.

Road Commission Launches New

Service Request App

Recently the Van Buren County launched SeeClickFix, a new app allowing citizens to report non-emergency road issues.  Residents and the motoring public can take a photo of a road issue, such as a pothole, give the location, add a description, and click “submit” to send requests directly to the Van Buren County Road Commission through SeeClickFix.  

Road Commission Interim Managing Director/Operations Director, Greg Brucks, states, “SeeClickFix makes it easier for staff at the Van Buren County Road Commission to identify and address road-related issues in a timely fashion.  SeeClickFix is a mobile app that lets citizens report issues on-the-go, and receive real time notifications when the service request has been updated.  This will not only serve to increase civic engagement by involving citizens in community dialogue, but will also improve the efficiency in which service requests are addressed.”

SeeClickFix is available immediately for citizen use as follows:

•On Facebook at www.facebook.com/VBCRC

•On the Van Buren County Road Commission’s website at www.VBCRC.org

•Download on the App Store or on Google Play

•On line at www.SeeClickFix.com

For answers to any questions about SeeClickFix, please contact the Van Buren County Road Commission at 269-674-8011, Extension 0.  The Road Commission urges you to, “Get Connected.  Get Involved.  Get Results.”