OXFORD TWP. ? Quite the diverse array of tenants large and small will occupy the 208,000-square-foot Legacy Center when all is said and done.
But in order to accommodate them all, township officials told owner Christian Mills his property needs to be rezoned.
As a result, Mills, a Lake Orion resident, requested the zoning of his 19.74-acre parcel, located at 925 N. Lapeer Rd., be changed from Research-Office (RO) to General Commercial (C-2).
‘I think (the township has) been very fair to work with in (terms of) trying to steer us in the right direction,? he said.
A public hearing on the subject will be held Thursday, Jan. 14 before the township planning commission, which meets at 300 Dunlap Rd., just north of Seymour Lake Rd. It starts at 7 p.m.
The Legacy Center is basically a privately-owned-and-operated community center featuring a mixture of for-profit and nonprofit tenants focused on family entertainment, fitness and wellness, training for individual and team sports, swimming, art, education, life-skill development and dining.
The site’s current RO zoning is intended ‘for uses which combine research, office, manufacturing, and/or educational activities within the same building or group of buildings in a campus or planned development atmosphere.? Some permitted uses in RO zoning are laboratories and offices for industrial, scientific or business research, development and testing; prototype development and testing facilities; technical training; and universities.
?(RO zoning is) more along the lines of what you’d see in Auburn Hills,? explained township Planner Brian Oppmann, of the Ann Arbor-based Carlisle/Wortman Associates, Inc.
Despite the definition of RO zoning, the township has previously permitted businesses involving indoor recreation to operate on the site. An example is the Great Lakes Kids Energy Zone, which existed there prior to the Legacy Center and is continuing to serve the public as part of Mills? new concept.
But, according to Oppmann, the Legacy Center is going well beyond indoor recreation.
?(Mills has) got a lot of things in the works,? he said. ‘It seems like things are evolving up there.?
Incoming tenants such as the coffee shop and self-serve frozen yogurt business require a rezoning as do Legacy’s micro office spaces for budding entrepreneurs, according to Oppmann.
‘Those types of uses really aren’t permitted in Research Office unless it’s associated with some sort of office park and really even then, it’s a stretch,? he said.
C-2 zoning is ‘probably most appropriate,? in the planner’s opinion, because it would appear to meet all of the Legacy Center’s needs.
The township ordinance states the C-2 zoning district is ‘for more intensive and more diversified business types.? Permitted uses include retail, restaurants, commercial indoor recreation and offices, to name a few. Bars or lounges are considered a special use.
Oppmann does not believe rezoning Mills? site will be a ‘tough sell? because the master plan already shows it as ‘mixed use? and the Legacy Center seems to fit that.
Added to the master plan in 2011, the mixed use designation allows for mixed developments in order to promote economic growth, expand the tax base and encourage redevelopment.
If the planning commission recommends approval of Legacy’s rezoning, the request moves on to the township board for a vote.
‘It’s three months down the road, minimum, to get that approved,? Oppmann said. ‘Typically, the township board has basically done what the planning commission’s recommended in the past.?
Mills doesn’t foresee any issues with his rezoning request. ‘It’s the right recommendation,? he said. ‘It’s the proper zoning.?