The Fife Lake Village Council rejected a rezoning request for a hotly contested RV park proposed for the village. 

The council at their regular March meeting tonight (Monday) voted 5-2 to reject a request by a downstate development team to rezone a 25-acre parcel just east of U.S. 131 and south of State Street in the northwest corner of the village.

The Fife Lake Area Planning Commission, a joint commission that includes the village and township, approved the request late last year, and it was now up to the village to grant final approval. Despite emailing village officials to withdraw their proposal, developers later pushed forward with the request. 

Documents provided to the planning commission last year show more than 100 rentable sites (a mixture of slabs and cabins), though multiple people told The Ticker plans had since grown to 130 sites. The development was proposed by an entity called Fife Lake Family RV Resort LLC, described in documents as a southwest Michigan company.

The project was roundly criticized by many area residents, who had wide ranging concerns about noise, pollution, environmental impacts and more. Not everyone opposed it, with some suggesting the park would have provided a boost to local businesses.