A request by Menard Inc. to rezone property on Carpenter Road just south of where it crosses I-94 will get more scrutiny from the Pittsfield Township Planning Commission after members voted unanimously Thursday night to defer a vote.

Commissioners will schedule a work session to further explore the request to rezone the 57-acre property zoned from light industrial use to general commercial, which would allow the private Wisconsin-based home improvement chain build a 162,000-square-foot store.

While much of the discussion at the meeting focused on how a Menard's store could impact the area, planners agreed that the request - which goes against the recommendation of the master plan - needs bigger-picture scrutiny so the township doesn't face serial spot rezoning in coming years.

"I would love to see a Menard's in Pittsfield Township, but the question is this particular location," said commissioner Ann Harris.

She added: "It would be significant to rezone this area because it's one of the few areas with (light industrial) zoning."

Commissioners raised questions about how a potential change could affect the master planning process, which is undergoing revisions, as well as whether the Carpenter Road commercial corridors should be extended as part of that.

The proposed location is owned by Ashley Capital, which purchased it in 2007. The company has developed 12 million square feet of industrial space in Michigan.

Susan Harvey, a vice president at Ashley Capital, presented data at the meeting that indicated the industrial zoning made development highly unlikely. She said there's 7.5 million square feet of vacant industrial property within 10 miles of the location.

"It's a staggering number," she said. "But it also goes a long way to explain why there’s no development in this corridor."

Harvey presented projections that the $43,000 annual tax payment while the land is vacant would increase to $780,000 per year if rezoned to allow commercial development of Menard's and adjoining outlots.

She also noted that job creation from light industrial development would likely generate positions paying $15 per hour, compared to $12.50 per hour for retail jobs. The number of retail jobs created under those projections would more than double that of light industrial development.

Planning commissioners raised questions about the viability of building a big-box retail store while two major Menard's competitors - Home Depot and Lowe's - operate north on Carpenter Road.

"I want to support business coming in and would love the revenues," said Michael Yi. "But I would like to see data that another store in this location could be supported."

Tom O'Neill of Menard's said the company routinely establishes stores in areas already served by the national public home improvement stores due to their rapid expansion, "and the pie is big enough for all of us."

Four comments were received during the public hearing portion of the meeting, including two letters in favor of the rezoning and two speakers who urged commissioners to vote against it.

"Is this what we need? Another big box to put another big box out of business?" said Tom Dodd.

Yet Harvey said the location - less than a mile from Ellsworth and Sam's Club in either direction - already effectively is a commercial district because of the traffic traveling between both.

Commissioners, agreeing that they wanted more discussion and more background information on how the master plan determined the zoning for the property, will meet in a work session before a future meeting.

"If we're going to violate (our master plan), we'd better be sure we've done our due diligence," Harris said.

Paula Gardner is Business News Director of AnnArbor.com. Contact her at 734-623-2586 or by email. Sign up for the weekly Business Review newsletter, distributed every Thursday, here.