Is the Chikaming Township Planning Commission Out of Control?

By John Bell, Sawyer Resident

For decades, Chikaming Township has been known for careful planning, environmental stewardship, and genuine public input. That legacy is now at risk. The Planning Commission has advanced an R-1 rezoning and dense residential site plan on roughly fifteen acres of productive agricultural land in Sawyer — despite clear conflicts with the Township’s own Master Plan, procedural missteps, and overwhelming resident concern.

The Township Board is scheduled to consider this rezoning for approval on Thursday, November 13, at 6:30 PM at the Chikaming Township Center, 13535 Red Arrow Highway, Harbert. If approved, the accompanying site plan will be automatically adopted — even though it has received little or no meaningful community input. This procedural shortcut undermines public trust and violates the spirit of transparency required under both the Township’s zoning ordinance and Michigan state law. 

The site plan itself is fundamentally flawed. It’s “50 pounds of sand in a 10-pound bag” — far too many homes, driveways, and paved surfaces crammed into a site that simply cannot support them. Wetlands on or near the property have not been properly delineated, the drainage and stormwater design lacks credible engineering data, and the landscaping plan omits basic details such as tree counts, species, and buffer widths. These are not minor technicalities; they are essential elements of responsible planning.

Equally troubling is the absence of usable open space — a cornerstone of future residential land use identified in Chikaming Township’s 2014–2029 Master Plan. The plan explicitly calls for maintaining open green areas as ecological buffers, visual relief, and community

gathering spaces. By contrast, this proposal erases nearly all open space, replacing fields and trees with rooftops and asphalt — a direct assault on the rural character that defines Sawyer.

Even more telling, the Berrien County Planning Commission voted against this proposed rezoning on October 14, 2025, during its advisory review, citing procedural irregularities and inconsistency with both county and township planning objectives. That vote should have prompted a serious pause. Instead, the project continues to move forward at full speed, disregarding the warning signs.

Although Vice Chairman Cam Mammina of the Chikaming Township Planning Commission has recused himself from voting because his father, Mitchell Mammina, is listed on the property deed for the Sawyer Fields parcel, the process that followed has raised more questions than answers. His recusal was appropriate, but the handling of this application since then has not restored public confidence. 

There have been numerous discussions, negotiations, and site plan meetings held without any community involvement, leaving residents to piece together fragments of information after key steps have already taken place. Adjacent residents were never given a meaningful opportunity to review or comment on the site plan, and public input has been confined to brief procedural meetings that offered little clarity about the project’s scope or impact. 

Adding to the confusion, the developers have publicly characterized Sawyer Fields as “affordable housing.” Yet the record suggests they are acting primarily as land subdividers rather than homebuilders. Without commitments to actually construct homes — or to establish prices that are genuinely attainable for local workers — the “affordable” label is, at best, aspirational. Based on current construction costs and market demand for second homes and short-term rental properties, it seems highly unlikely that any of these houses will be affordable to the very residents the project claims to serve. The community deserves transparency about what is being proposed, who will build it, and who it is truly intended for.

Approving this rezoning would set a dangerous precedent: it tells future developers that the Township’s own Master Plan and environmental safeguards are optional. Growth in Chikaming should be guided, not forced — balanced between private property rights and our shared responsibility to protect wetlands, groundwater, and small-town scale.

The Township Board should reject this rezoning proposal and send the developer back to the drawing board. Residents who share these concerns should attend the Township Board meeting on November 13 at 6:30 PM to voice their opposition and demand transparency. Our Township deserves growth that reflects community values — not one pushed through without answers, without analysis, and without consent.

Is the Planning Commission out of control? It certainly looks that way. On November 13, the Township Board has an opportunity — and an obligation — to restore public confidence by rejecting this rezoning and insisting on a fair, transparent process. The future of Sawyer’s open space, environment, and community character depends on it.
 

John Bell is a Sawyer resident and commercial real estate professional with more than 25 years of experience in development and planning. He has built large-scale shopping centers throughout the Midwest and led the development of more than 500 Starbucks locations across 14 states.

Sawyer Fields Proposed Site Plan

📣 Is the Chikaming Planning Commission Out of Control?

This is the proposed Sawyer Fields subdivision — 22 homes jammed onto 15 acres of AGzoned farmland in Sawyer. It’s being pushed forward despite:

• ❌ No builder

• ❌ No pricing

• ❌ No guarantees of affordability

• ❌ No open space, trails, or parks

This plan violates the Township’s Master Plan, zoning ordinance, and Michigan law. Even the Berrien County Planning Commission voted to reject it on Oct. 14.

The land was recently purchased by the father of the Planning Commission vice-chair. While the vice-chair recused himself, the family connection should have triggered greater transparency — instead, the process has raised more questions than answers.

⚠ If the Township Board approves the rezoning this Thursday, the site plan is automatically adopted with no further public input.

📍 Chikaming Township Board Meeting

🗓 Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025

⏰ 6:30 PM

🏛 13535 Red Arrow Hwy, Harbert, MI

🗣 Attend. Speak up. Protect our farmland and rural character.

🧱 “50 pounds of sand in a 10-pound bag."