The Union Charter Township, Mich., Board of Trustees granted a special-use permit last week that will allow real estate developer Mt. Pleasant Investment Properties LLC to move forward on its self-storage project at 1982 E. Remus Road. The approval comes after township officials and the developer reached a mediation settlement on Nov. 29, following a lawsuit filed in August by Mt. Pleasant.

Mt. Pleasant pursued a legal resolution to its proposal after trustees deadlocked 3-3 in a July vote, denying the application. The settlement requires the self-storage business to limit hours of operation between 4 a.m. and midnight. Mt. Pleasant also agreed to plant rows of trees on the east and west sides of the property to serve as visual buffers, construct a sidewalk, and remove a portion of a sidewalk to make room for road construction.

“The dilemma was simply that within that particular area with the zoning, the mini-storage required a special-use permit,” township supervisor Ben Gunning told the source. “That means it needs special criteria, which has 10 different requirements that we have go through.”

The permit was initially recommended for approval in June by the planning commission. Planners limited the length of the storage buildings to 225 feet.

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