WYOMING, Mich- In Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties alone there are 54 McDonald’s restaurants. But the fast food chain is hoping to add another in Wyoming.
Tuesday night, the city planning commission met and approved zoning changes for a McDonald’s and they got an earful from nearby residents and homeowners.
McDonald’s hopes to put the new restaurant on Chicago Drive at the southwest corner of Rathbone Street and Freeman Avenue. Those living in the area say it will sink their property value and bring along trash, graffiti, traffic and loitering.
Another point of contention with the new McDonald’s moving in is health. Michigan is the 9th fattest state in the country with an obesity rate of 28.8 percent. With fast food at nearly every corner already some argue it will pollute the health of their community.
With the zoning changes approved, four houses will be knocked down along with an abandoned building. The planning commission says it’s a good thing and will improve that corner of the intersection.
Fox 17 reached out to McDonald’s and asked how they could benefit the community, they declined to comment.
5 Comments to “Is Fast Food Invading West Michigan?”
March 20, 2013 at 5:40 AM
Not all residents of the neighborhood are against this. In fact your reporter sat next to me, but didn't bother to talk to me about my opinion, that I shared at this meeting. Nor was there any mention that other residents supported this change, but shared concerns about traffic, and safety plans.
Also you call the building at 1111 Chicago Dr. an abandoned building. This is not true. The store has closed as a condition of the up coming sale. If the sale does not go through, I understand that it will re-open.
Another problem I have with the story you reported on TV is you called the gentleman who hired the consultant a resident. This man has never lived in this neighborhood. In fact if you had asked neighbors of his property, they would have told you that his rental is more of a problem than all of the businesses in the neighborhood combined. In fact, property damage he blamed on a business in the neighborhood, at the meeting, I witnessed his renters perpetrating.
March 20, 2013 at 6:39 AM
The other issue is one of the residents mentioned that mcDonalds will only bring in 20 jobs. I am in the QSR industry and can say that a McDonalds provides at least 40 to 80 jobs depending on volume. So for some to say it is not a great way to increase jobs I have to disagree. For many people who are young and have not been able to get the skills they need to make it a go in life, a QSR job is the first step. Retail used to have entry level jobs but lately those jobs have been eliminated in the form of self bagging systems. I can also say that the money generated by this new store will go to the community in wages of an already lower income area.
i must also state that lady who discussed CDBG money was a moron. She was amazed that the commission did not speak of the land use plan however she did not remember that the city planner did speak about it. It should also be mentioned that the CDBG money is going to the area. The city regularly puts info out to the residents to ask for the grant money to fix up housing stock. The only issue is we got people like the guy who hired this lady who owns rental properties and lets them be run down and the CDBG money is not allowed to go to rental properties. As such its much harder to get more people involved in the CDBG program. I should also mention that the city spends as much time as they can on code enforcement as budget allows to get areas cleaned up.
March 20, 2013 at 1:32 PM
I live in this area and "sink their property value and bring along trash, graffiti, traffic and loitering" are already an issue. Maybe this will make it better. Lord knows nothing else has.
March 20, 2013 at 2:11 PM
What a poor example of reporting this is. Shouldn't residents who oppose the new restaurant and residents who approve BOTH be interviewed? I know many of my neighbors who are excited about it, and some of them even attended the meeting. Why weren't their opinions mentioned in this very slanted story?
As for graffiti and lower property values, this has NOTHING to do with Taco Bell. The problem is either people not taking pride in their homes, landlords not taking care of their properties, and hoodlums destroying the property of others. I have lived in Wyoming for 34 years, and I am embarrassed by how the area looks.
March 24, 2013 at 5:55 AM
Move.