The COVID-19 testing site operated by LynxDx at 2515 Ellsworth Road, the Roundtree Place Shopping Center, in Ypsilanti Township on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - An Ypsilanti-area COVID-19 testing site that has operated since cases reached a historic peak in January must shut down.
On Wednesday, Sept. 7, an Ypsilanti Township zoning board denied an extension of a temporary permit for the drive-thru testing site run by Ann Arbor-based diagnostics company LynxDx in the parking lot of a former Walmart off Ellsworth Road.
Township officials have urged the operation to relocate, saying local law doesn’t allow for the extension, and the site would be better as an accessory use attached to a civic building, church or health care facility, instead of in the shopping plaza where the vacant Walmart building is being marketed to developers.
“The addition of a temporary COVID testing facility in the parking lot adds to the overall perception of this property being underutilized which effects the neighboring businesses and property owners,” reads a memo from township Planning Director Jason Iacoangeli, which adds the extension would set a precedent for similar temporary uses, limited to six months in developed areas of the township.
The testing site got off to a rocky start. LynxDx officials skipped a key township approval process, and local officials said they found out about it via newspaper reports. In late January, they cited the company for zoning violations and issued a shutdown order.
In response, Washtenaw County health officials and elected leaders urged LynxDx and the township to reach a compromise that would allow the testing site to continue in an area of the county they said had a dire need for testing amid a surge in cases driven by the omicron variant.
Days after an MLive/The Ann Arbor News report on the violations, township officials said they would “stop the clock” on the removal order if LynxDx filed proper paperwork with the township to apply for a permit.
In early March, the township Zoning Board of Appeals granted a temporary six-month permit for the testing site, which collects saliva samples.
Read more: Ypsilanti-area COVID testing site that faced removal order granted permit to stay
The facility, operated out of a tent and shipping container, has collected samples for more than 15,000 COVID tests, averaging between 125 and 150 daily tests, the majority for people in the Ypsilanti-area 48197 and 49198 ZIP codes, LynxDx Director of Operations Ken Disney told the zoning board Wednesday evening.
The company requested a 100-day extension of the permit, through Dec. 16, to complete the duration of its lease and keep the site operational while the company arranges for a new location in the area, which could take several weeks, he said.
“Obviously we’re still in a time of a pandemic. I do want to highlight that COVID-19 is not precedented. We’re not selling fireworks. It is a service to the community that we provide,” Disney said, referencing Iacoangeli’s earlier use of a pyrotechnics vendor to illustrate what would be an appropriate “accessory use” to the commercial shopping center.
With the federal government ending its at-home test distribution program, the site provides a crucial testing opportunity covered by health insurance or offered free for the uninsured, Disney said.
Zoning board members peppered Disney with questions, asking about an alternate location the township had proposed at the New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church, 2345 Tyler Road, in the West Willow neighborhood.
LynxDx had not communicated with church leaders while waiting for a determination on the extension request, Disney said.
“Do you believe that’s short-sighted?” asked zoning board Chair Marsha Kraycir, given the board could deny the company’s request.
“No. So, the (Ellsworth Road) site is not what I would say is a profitable site,” Disney said, adding if the operation moved to a location that wasn’t as centralized, like the church, and the company saw a downtrend in testing, the operation wouldn’t be viable.
A major part of LynxDx’s business is prostate cancer diagnostics, and the COVID testing is oriented more as a service to the area, though it wouldn’t continue the site operating at a loss, Disney said.
His arguments proved unpersuasive for the board, however. The three members present — Kraycir, township Trustee Jimmie Wilson Jr. and Edward Burnett — all voted to deny the request.
On Thursday, Disney said LynxDx officials were deliberating on whether to relocate the site somewhere else in the Ypsilanti area or close it altogether, as well as coordinating with the township on the exact date it will have to shut down.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Iacoangeli defended the township’s position.
“It is not that Ypsilanti Township has some sort of adversity of COVID testing. We don’t. We want COVID testing in our community, absolutely. What we’re driving at as part of this is we just want it located where it belongs,” he said.
More from The Ann Arbor News:
Eastern Michigan University asks courts to order striking faculty back to class
Rash of arsons under investigation at mobile home park outside Ann Arbor
$3 ticket day ends in 100-person brawl at movie theater
Salty, spicy, sweet: Korean flavors elevate French fries at Ann Arbor’s HOMES Brewery
Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022).
© 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.
Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.