Land sale next step in township plan for park

Brandon Twp.- A new development may be heading to the township after officials unload some undeveloped township property.
At a sale price of $725,000 the township board approved the sale of 60.45 acres of township property on the north side of Seymour Lake Road just west of Sashabaw Road to Farmington Hills based Atlantis Development Corp. Phone calls to the developer from The Citizen were not returned.
Terms of the sale include the township retaining profits gleaned from a cell phone tower located on the property.
‘I’m delighted we got this property sold,? said Ron Lapp, township supervisor. ‘It was a well executed plan, we will start developing the recreation property in the near future.?
The land sale is yet another piece of a rather complex puzzle mapped out by township officials to fund the development of a future township recreational park. Proceeds from the sale will help pay for a land deal inked in September.
Last fall the township board approved a $250,000 down payment to purchase property owned by the James Vantine family. Township officials offered the Vantines $808,000 on a land contract for 47 acres near the northeast corner of Hadley and Oakwood roads.
The money was drawn from a park development fund established about six years ago by the township. Money for the park comes from the cell tower revenue which is located on the Seymour Lake Road property. In September about $60,000, or five months of payments were in reserve in the park development fund to pay for the Vantine property.
Currently, the township receives $49,000 per year for the Seymour Lake Road cell tower operating on the recently sold property. Township officials say proceeds from the tower will continue to fund the development of the recreational park.
Prior to the sale of the Seymour Lake Road property, township officials amended the existing cell tower ordinance for wireless communication facilities. Along with other provisions the change provides for property owners to maintain a cell tower at the same time sell the property where it’s established.
Township officials say the change was necessary to move forward with the recreation park.