LEONI TWP., MI – Developers looking to turn a golf course outside of Jackson into an industrial park could be headed back to the drawing board after an application to rezone the site was rejected on Tuesday.
The Leoni Township Board voted down a request to rezone the Pine Hollow Golf Course for heavy industrial use before a standing-room-only crowd. The property is currently zoned for suburban residential and open-space development.
The application, submitted by Interstate Capital Development LLC, has been the subject of widespread pushback from nearby residents over the last several weeks. A data center was ruled out for the site during a work session Monday, and according to its plans, Interstate has promised to develop just 100 of 234 total acres for an unspecified host of future industrial businesses.
Greg Dilone, managing partner and CEO for Interstate, briefly asked the board to give the group another month to adjust plans before officials took a vote. However, after the meeting Tuesday, Dec. 9, he acknowledged that trustees’ rejection made sense ― “and to their credit,” he said ― given the slate of concerns aired by the public.
He just didn’t think residents had a whole picture of his intentions.
“The communities that are half the size they were 50 years ago because of manufacturing loss is at my core mission,” Dilone said. “… I’m looking to bring all of that back ― as much as we can.”
Dilone joked he was “probably the most-hated person in that room” and pointed to the older demographic of residents who made up most of the opposition speakers. The kids and grandkids who they hoped to protect, he said, would be missing out on future jobs.
Residents back the back of the room during public comment of the Leoni Township Board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. The room was full mainly with those airing concerns about a request to rezone a local golf course for heavy industrial use.Jackie Smith | MLive
According to Interstate’s proposal website, development of the golf course property would create over 1,000 construction jobs and 550 permanent positions for local workers.
But resident Allan Phillips said he thinks the promise of job creation is often temporary and not a permanent community asset.
During public comment, he admitted the promise of economic development seemed “alluring” but asked the board to weigh Interstate’s proposal against long-term costs to health, environment and property values.
“The term heavy industry is not benign,” Phillips said. “It represents uses with the highest potential for environmental impact, including chemical manufacturing, significant noise pollution and substantial waste generation. … We do not want this activity next door to where our families live and breathe.”
Other residents agreed.
Vicki Patterson said the golf course is in her backyard, and at age 63, her home is the first house she’s purchased on her own, loving it for its peace and quiet.
“I can just come home from work, I can sit in my backyard, and it’s so nice. It’s a great place,” she said. “I have grandchildren that come over every weekend, and we’re always playing, doing things, and I’m afraid if this gets rezoned, then we will not get to go outside.”
Public comment Tuesday lasted under an hour. Other concerns ranged from impacts on well water and bald eagles nesting in the area to how the rezoning to heavy industrial conflicted with Leoni Township’s master plan and the Jackson County Planning Commission’s opposition to the idea.
Some speculated over the impermanence of what industries or manufacturing could thrive long-term on site.
“Just because they say something may be going in today doesn’t mean that down the road that’s what it will be,” resident Pearl Sullivan said. “… This makes no sense to me. Is it a money-grabbing effort? What are we doing? We are the people who have to live with this ― our descendants, our grandchildren have to live with (it). This is not just a decision for today.”
Moving forward, Dilone said he expected to rework Interstate’s plans before resubmitting another application, adding that he was still thinking about what he would do differently.
