Meijer-Acme: Officials Expect Crowd For Public Presentation

<p><em><a href="mailto:payettepc@interlochen.org">By Tom Carr for the Traverse City Business News</a></em></p> <p>After years of litigation and controversy in Acme Township over a large-scale development and Meijer store, plans are moving forward. Developers will make a public presentation later this month at the township Planning Commission.</p> <p>The August 29th meeting will be held at the Williamsburg Dinner Theater to accommodate what could be a large crowd.</p> <p>Revised plans for the Village at Grand Traverse would include more than a million square feet of retail and office space. Plans also call for 650 residential units, including single-family homes, apartments and senior housing.</p> <p>The proposed Meijer store would be built in a slightly different spot on M-72 than was originally proposed years ago, and the plans no longer include a gas station/convenience store on that site. </p> <p>The Grand Rapids-based chain originally tried to build in Acme Township more than 10 years ago. A tangle of lawsuits between Meijer, the township and proposed developers of the Village at Grand Traverse followed. Meijer admitted to secretly manipulating two township elections. It also paid settlements to Acme Township officials who claimed they were bullied by the company.</p> <p>Meijer applied for the current version of the project in 2009, after those lawsuits were settled.</p>