Spaceport opponents request zoning change to block potential Marquette County rocket launch site

POWELL TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLUC) - Powell Township could soon ban rocket launch sites and spaceports, like the one proposed at Granot Loma.

At Wednesday night’s Powell Township Planning Commission meeting, residents who oppose the launch site delivered a petition that asks the township to amend its zoning ordinance.

“On behalf of 134 residents and property owners of Powell Township, we submitted the petition to the Powell Township Planning Commission to ask them to schedule a public hearing on a request to amend the Powell Township Zoning Ordinance to prohibit rocket launches and spaceports throughout Powell Township,” said Dennis Ferraro, Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior President.

Ferraro says this step is very encouraging for efforts to stop the proposed vertical rocket launch site northwest of Marquette on the Lake Superior shore.

“This (launch site) is totally destructive to not only our environment but to our recreational economy and our way of life here,” said Ferraro. “I mean this peninsula, Thoney Point, what they plan on doing is carving out 2,800 acres of that beautiful landscape, that beautiful habitat, and making a heavy industrial rocket launch site where they’re going to launch rockets that have over a 25% failure rate.”

This month marks three years since the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association announced it selected Marquette County as the location for the vertical launch site component of its Michigan Launch Initiative. MAMA chose Granot Loma as its ideal place to launch low-Earth orbit satellites.

In May 2021, MAMA’s executive director told the Marquette County Board that a feasibility study of the project would end later that year. At that time, MAMA indicated it was still looking for investors.

Since then, MAMA has been essentially silent in its communication with TV6 and local governments, like Marquette County.

“I have not personally heard from Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association on an update on that project, and I’m just estimating here, upwards to two years,” said Scott Erbisch, Marquette County Administrator.

Erbisch says the county has taken a wait-and-see approach and has no formal position on the potential launch site. The county has many questions about the launch site’s economic and environmental impact.

“Typically, we would have known by now,” said Erbisch. “And a lot of the stuff that we deal with that I have personally dealt with at Sawyer, we would have known by now whether there was going to be movement or not.”

In the meantime, Ferraro is encouraged by what he calls overwhelming public support for his organization’s campaign and the potential ordinance amendment.

“We think it would be a good way to end this discussion and keep our beautiful U.P. beautiful,” he said.

The Powell Township Planning Commission’s next meeting is Aug. 16 at 7:00 p.m. at the Powell Township Hall.

UPDATE: At the Aug. 16 meeting, the planning commission tabled this issue as it is waiting for a response from its attorney.

Planning Commission Chair Phil Moran says at that meeting, the seven-member group will likely set a date for the public hearing. After listening to public comment at the hearing, it will vote on whether to recommend the change to the township board, which ultimately has the final say.

Moran also notes that current township zoning rules have no language specific to rocket launches. He says without the proposed amendment, the Granot Loma property would need a zoning change to move ahead with the launch site.

MAMA, nor the owner of Granot Loma, have responded to TV6 emails requesting an interview for this story.

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