Now [TSM] would like to move Ave Maria College, a Catholic institution he founded, from nearby Ypsilanti to a site here near an office park he owns [Dominos Farms]. He would turn the college into a university, expand it to accommodate as many as 1,500 students and, according to his development plan, include a 250-foot crucifix with a 40-foot Jesus...
...the town's planning commission, citing burdens on firefighting, police, water and sewerage resources, recommended this month that the town board reject the proposal...
...Mr. Monaghan, whose 1,300 acres here make him the community's largest landowner, will not give up his university proposal, or the crucifix, without a fight. They note his demonstrated willingness to sue the town and, though he does not live here, to try to influence local elections through political contributions. Jeff Basch, 33, complained at a recent meeting of the planning commission that the town was turning into ''a theocracy.''
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