After months of negotiation, the former lumberyard at Broadway and Andersonville Road is now the property of Springfield Township.
‘It was a good deal ? it came in under our cap,? said township Treasurer Jamie Dubre. ‘The township set a cap of up to $160,000.?
‘It made sense for us,? said Supervisor Mike Trout. ‘It’s an investment in the community. That’s what we’ve done with park land. This is a chance to help Davisburg.?
The seller, Blu Lou Inc., asked for $250,000 when negotiations started this past May, and agreed to sell for $125,000.
Property development will include two phases, said Trout.
‘The first phase is environmental work, to make sure there’s no contamination,? Trout said. ‘I’m fairly confident that’s the case.?
Plans also include cleaning up weeds and brush.
‘It’s blight the way it is,? Dubre said. ‘It needs to be cleaned up. In our hands, we can make that happen.?
The former lumber building closed about five years ago and is run down. It will probably have to be taken down, Trout said.
‘Maybe someone can use the materials,? he said.
The adjacent office structure seems in better shape, he said.
‘It’s fairly sound,? he said. ‘The structure seems pretty good. The roof needs to be cleaned up.?
They will seek ideas from downtown Davisburg residents and business owners.
‘It’s a good size ? it would start support a lot of different things,? Trout said. ‘We’re open to ideas. It’s almost like a blank slate. We hope to bring in something cool.?
‘I want to hear suggestions from all the people in the hamlet,? Dubre said. ‘There’s a lot we can do.?
Ideas include a parking lot, farmers? market, and fire station. It could also be used for waste treatment, Trout said.
‘It’s all individual septic fields now ? many are as old as the buildings, about 100 years,? he said.
New technology could be used to place a waste treatment facility or pump station under a parking lot.
‘It would fit into the site and not stand out,? he said. ‘There are a lot of options.?
After clean up, development might take awhile, Trout said.
Assessment board of review hearings continue this week, but property values in the township are expected to be about 15 percent lower. The declining value reduces tax revenue to the township. It also made the property a better buy.
‘We bought the property for a quarter of what it was worth,? Trout said.
‘This is an opportunity for us. We control our own destiny, not subject to someone else coming in with something that doesn’t fit.?
The 3.3 acre lot and buildings were once worth $400,000, he said.
For more information, call the township at 248-846-6500.