The Sun and News

Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Middleville and Caledonia Areas

No. 01/January 8, 2022 Published by J-Ad Graphics, Inc. • 1351 N. M-43 Highway, Hastings, MI 49058 144th year

IN THIS ISSUE...IN THIS ISSUE...

• Should Middleville enter into

internet service to the village?

• Road Commission upgrades

Irving Township intersection

• Middleville mother seeks help

to find missing 15-year-old

• Caledonia girls start second

half strong to defeat Hamilton

• Fighting Scot wrestlers win two

duals at Portage Central tourney

Middleville Planning Commission gives

go-ahead to The Flats at Midvilla

James Gemmell
Contributing Writer
For decades, the Middle
Villa Inn was an entertainment
hotspot in Middleville, with its
16-lane bowling alley, driving

range, miniature golf course,

banquet rooms, restaurant and

later, a micro-brewery.

But the business closed in

2014 and the building was

demolished in 2015. The site

has since been vacant.

However, that could change

soon.

After a public hearing

Tuesday night, the Middleville

Planning Commission voted

5-0 to approve the final

planned unit development for

a 144-unit residential complex

called The Flats at Midvilla,

on the condition that the com-

mission’s site-plan committee

first review the plans.

The village council would

have to give final approval

before construction could

begin, possibly later this year.

“If they were to get it

approved in the fashion that

we have out there, I would say

they probably could break

construction late this sum-

mer,” Assistant Village

Manager Brian Urquhart said.

The 22-acre site would be

rezoned from a C-2 highway

commercial designation to a

planned unit development.

The project would include

three phases initially: two resi-

dential and one commercial.

The first phase of the proj-

ect would include multi-fami-

ly residential units on 9.

acres. Three apartment build-

ings would be constructed.

The second phase calls for

three commercial out-lots at

the front of the development

along M-37 that would be sold

and developed by a different

company. The third phase

would include assisted-living/

senior housing on 7.3 acres.

As for the commercial con-

struction, the first part would

be for retail on 1.4 acres, and

the second portion of commer-

This bird’s-eye view of the proposed layout for the
Flats at Midvilla shows, upper left, the proposed Phase
2 residential development in the northwest corner of the
property; middle left, Phase 1 residential; and, bottom
left, Phase 3 residential. (middlevillagemi.documents) See COMPLEX, page 2

Middleville picks two

marijuana retailers

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

Two businesses have

received approval from the

village of Middleville to

establish marijuana-based

retail operations.

DNVK LLC, based out of

Southfield, and Mitten Meds

LLC out of Middleville, were

approved for retail licenses

after their applications were

reviewed by Village Manager

Patricia Rayl.

They scored the highest

among four applicants for the

village’s two available retail

licenses.

DNVK received a score of

92 out of a possible 100,

while Mitten Meds scored an

87, according to a memo

from Rayl to the Village

Council.

Mitten Meds was approved

as an adult-use business and a

medical marijuana provision-

ing center, while DNVK

received approval as an adult-

use business. Mitten Meds

plans to locate its business in

the TTS Fitness building at

640 Arlington Ct., while

DNVK proposes to set up its

business in the Thornapple

Floral building at 314

Arlington St.

The Village Council voted

Aug. 24 of last year to allow

marijuana-based businesses

in Middleville. The village’s

planning commission in

mid-November approved site

plans and special land uses

for five applicants for the two

retail licenses, but one of the

applicants did not submit

their paperwork to the village

in time to be considered, Rayl

said.

Applications were scored

on such criteria as back-

ground of the applicant,

including past compliance

with state business licensing

requirements; residency in

the village or Barry County

for at least one year; number

of employees residing in the

village; investment in the

business; impact on the sur-

rounding area; having busi-

ness, financing and market-

ing plans; design of the

establishment; energy effi-

ciency; infrastructure

impact; and having a securi-

ty plan and a Good Neighbor

plan that outlines communi-

ty or civic involvement, Rayl

said.

Licenses must go through

an annual renewal process. 

“They have to prove how

they’ve been a good neigh-

bor. We’re going to hold them

to what they promised to do,”

Rayl said.

The other two applicants –

Rison BS, LLC of Wayland

and Troy-based Lume – could

have appealed their denial to

the village, but chose not to

do so by Thursday’s dead-

line, Rayl said. 

If they had appealed, the

village ordinance would have

given them 10 days’ notice to

appear before council.

The ordinance language

sets a cap of five licenses,

two of which are reserved for

retail.

While the retail licenses

are spoken for now, other

licenses are available for

growing operations, secure

transport or a safety testing

facility, according to the ordi-

nance language.

Imagination Library tops goal,

wins $20,000 challenge grant

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
An effort to raise funds for
the Barry County Imagination
Library exceeded its goal and
received a matching $20,
grant from the Hastings-based
Baum Family Foundation.
The fund drive raised
$28,087 in donations by the
end of December. Add on the
matching grant from the Baum
Foundation, that brings the
amount raised to $48,087, said
Chelsey Foster, who serves on
the program’s committee and
also is a member of the
Hastings Rotary Club.
“We had a really good

response from the communi-

ty,” Foster said. “We had won-

derful support from our three

Rotary Clubs [in the county –

Hastings, Middleville and

Delton].”

The campaign drew fund-

ing support from corporate

sponsors, foundations and

individuals throughout the

county.

“It gives us the ability to

market the enrollment, to

make sure every kid who can

benefit is signed up,” Foster

said.

The Imagination Library is a

book-gifting program that

mails free books to children

from birth to age 5, regardless

of family income. The program

was the brainchild of country

music legend Dolly Parton,

who created the national orga-

nization in the mid-1990s.

Books are delivered directly to

the mailboxes and homes of

youngsters, in the child’s name,

with the delivery being handled

by Parton’s Dollywood

Foundation, Foster said.

“It’s a great program. You

can’t beat the impact of getting

books into the hands of kids at

a young age,” Foster said.

The Imagination Library

has served about 1,500 chil-

dren since its inception in

Barry County in 2016. Foster

is hopeful of getting another

500-600 children signed up for

the program through the help

of the fund drive.

A $30 donation provides

one child with 12 books per

year. Rotary clubs in Hastings,

Middleville and Delton sup-

port the program, and contri-

butions also can be made to

the program through Barry

Community Foundation.

More details about

Imagination Library can be

found at barrycountyreads.org.

A rendering shows how the proposed Flats at Midvilla residential development would be positioned along
M-37. Portions of the property along the highway would be used for a separate commercial development.
(middlevillagemi.documents)