LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Marshall residents trying to stop Ford’s $3.5 billion battery plant just got a boost from the state’s highest court.

On September 12, the Michigan Supreme Court sent their case back to the Court of Appeals, tossing a June decision that had dismissed it. The justices said the lower court must reconsider the challenge in light of a 2017 ruling out of Wexford County that strengthened the role of joint city–township planning commissions under Michigan’s land-transfer law.

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That’s a mouthful of legalese, but the bottom line is simple: Marshall leaders rezoned land for Ford’s project after a joint city–township commission voted it down. Residents say that broke the rules.

“This is a clear victory for the citizens,” Robby Dube, attorney for Committee for Marshall – Not the Megasite, spearheading the lawsuit, said.

The city also blocked residents from putting the rezoning up for a referendum, attaching an appropriation to the ordinance to make it immune from a public vote.

Meanwhile, Ford’s development is steaming ahead. Steel is already in place, thousands of workers are on site, and production is slated for next summer, according to The Detroit News. 

“Ford is currently paying taxes on the property, and there are 2,200 workers on site every day,” James Durian, CEO of the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance, said.