Gotion Inc., the electric vehicle battery manufacturer behind the plans for a plant in Mecosta County, announced Tuesday they are delaying their application to rezone part of the proposed land from agricultural to industrial.
The delay isn’t expected to slow down the overall timeline but does give the company more time to work on the public relations behind the plant and answer questions.
The first public meeting on Gotion’s potential $2.3 billion plan for a massive EV battery plant was nothing but support and excitement.
Since then, opinions have been mixed as opponents point to Gotion’s beginnings in China and their current corporate structure, potentially allowing Chinese influence in Michigan. Add in worries about environmental impact and wage levels for workers and the dissent has gotten quite loud.
But late last month the state pushed ahead, approving $175 million of taxpayer money to be spent on the project. But the deal wasn’t completely done, the pushback was still there and the questions still remain.
That’s part of the reason Gotion put out this press release Tuesday, saying they are delaying the next part of the plan, an application to rezone some of the large parcel of land they are purchasing in Green Township.
Currently, part of it is zoned as agricultural and will have to shift to industrial. It is not a major hurdle but one that has to be cleared for full approval. In the delay, Gotion says the added time will allow them to “continue to communicate with the local community and answer the many questions that have been raised.”
Some of those questions may be answered by a recent approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States review that was completed last month.
“Following almost a four week review processed by the committee, which is a nine panel committee that utilizes all the intelligence agencies within the United States CFIUS determined our proposed transaction was not subject to further review so we may proceed with the transaction,” said Chuck Thelan, vice president of Gotion North America, while speaking to the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee.
Gotion does say in their press release that the delay in application should not slow the overall timeline and an approval of the transaction is not needed before beginning the building process. They go on to say the site is ideal for what they need with access to the highway and railway, as well as the nearby airport.
There is no word as to how long the delay will be and when the rezoning process will be initiated but Gotion plans to be more transparent and cooperative with the community as the process moves forward.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation can still put a hold on plans if Gotion does not hold up their end of the agreement with project goals and economic impact.
