An Oxford Township official said she was told negotiations for a site on which to build a dormitory to house up to 208 international students, mostly Chinese, ‘went south,? but the architect said that’s not the case.
‘That was a misquote,? said Steve Foster, senior project architect-manager with Stephen Auger & Associates Architects, the Lake Orion firm that’s been working on plans for the Weiming Education Group, a company based in the People’s Republic of China.
Foster, who’s been the project’s representative at planning commission meetings, explained things are at a standstill as negotiations for the potential site continue.
‘We had to put the project on hold,? he said.
Deanna Cushing, deputy township supervisor, had sent an April 27 e-mail to the township engineer and planner stating, ‘FYI ? Weiming pulled ? They told Steve Foster that the deal with Burton went South.?
Cushing stands by what she wrote.
‘He did say it,? she said.
Her e-mail was in response to a phone conversation with Foster and an e-mail from him a few hours earlier, which stated, ‘Please stop the ZBA (zoning board of appeals) process for the Weiming project until further notice.?
Weiming is looking to build a four-story, 58,279-square-foot dormitory, with classrooms, capable of housing up to 208 students on a 5-acre site, owned by the Bingham Farms-based Burton-Katzman development company. The site located on the west side of N. Oxford Rd., just south of the Oxford High School football stadium.
Foster’s request led the township to remove the Weiming dormitory project from the May 11 ZBA meeting agenda.
Variance requests involving the building’s length and number of stories must be approved by the ZBA in order for the dorm project to move forward and seek final site plan approval from the planning commission.
Although Weiming won’t be on the agenda, there will still be a ZBA meeting on May 11 as there is other business to address.
‘The negotiations on the property are still moving forward, so we can’t move forward until they iron out the (details),? Foster told this reporter.
But Foster’s explanation doesn’t match what Charles DiMaggio, senior vice president of project development for Burton-Katzman, told this reporter the week before.
‘I know we’ve given (Weiming) permission to go ahead and get their approvals (from the township) while we were finalizing our negotiations on our deal,? he said.
When asked about this, Foster said he doesn’t understand what the holdup is with regard to the negotiations.
‘That’s something that’s between Burton-Katzman and Weiming,? he said. ‘I don’t have the information. I haven’t been privy to any conversations. I just know that they’re still in negotiations.?
This reporter attempted to get an update on where things stand on Burton-Katzman’s end, but DiMaggio did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Cushing also told the Leader the other potential site for the Weiming dormitory ? a 2.71-acre piece of property on Market St., just east of M-24 and west of OHS ? was ‘totally off the table,? even though the planning commission granted preliminary site plan approval for it on March 12.
Cushing said Foster told her it was ‘never going to be developed? by Weiming.
Foster claims that’s not accurate, either.
‘That (site has) been put on hold also,? he said.
When asked if it’s still a potential site for the dormitory, Foster replied, ‘Every site is a potential site.?
‘It’s a site under consideration because it’s a site that’s been preliminarily approved by the Oxford Township Planning (Commission),? he said.
But Larry Lax, a representative for OXI, LLC, which owns the 2.71-acre site, tells a different story.
When asked if the site, which is zoned for commercial use, is still in the running for the Weiming dormitory, Lax replied, ‘It is not.?
Lax explained when environmental testing was conducted on the site, it was determined some contamination was found and that led to the demise of the pending purchase.
‘It’s good for commercial purposes, but it would be very costly to do what’s necessary to clean it up for residential purposes,? he said. ‘Not that it couldn’t be done, it’s just that it was much more than what Weiming was offering for the property.?
The contamination isn’t major, Lax noted. He said it’s primarily pieces of ‘broken concrete? and steel along with ‘maybe some oils.?
‘Nothing that can’t be cleaned up,? Lax said.
The site was once used by American Aggregates, which partnered with OXI to develop Waterstone, to process sand and gravel, according to Lax. He added that when they were preparing other sites for development, steel and concrete debris was dumped there with the knowledge that future cleanup would be required.
Lax indicated it would cost ‘probably in the neighborhood of $750,000 to $800,000? to clean up the site for residential use, which was ‘way more than what (Weiming was) willing to pay.?
Lax said Weiming was informed about the site’s environmental issues ‘on or about April 1.?
‘We haven’t heard anything from them after our discussions about the cost,? he said. ‘They said that it’s too expensive. (They’re) not willing to pay that much money to get it remediated.?
Ultimately, Lax is ‘pleased? to see Weiming focusing on the Burton-Katzman site instead.
‘I think it’s the right place for them,? he said. ‘It’s just a much better location for what they’re doing.?
Lax said the OXI, LLC site lacked access to the high school and other places, and was too small for the dormitory.
‘The fact is our site was very tight for them,? he said. ‘Although, according to their architect and engineer, it would work.?
‘I hope they can work it out with Burton-Katzman because it really is a better site,? Lax noted. ‘It’s larger. They really need more land.?