The Orion Township Board of Trustees will spend up to $20,000 for engineering and planning expenses to complete a Brown Road Market Analysis Study.
The study, entering phase two, is a market analysis of proposed uses for an overlay district proposed along Brown Road between Joslyn and Baldwin. The second phase of the study is a feasibility study for the district, and both phases are being done by Real Estate Development Research.
The funds will allow township engineers, Orchard, Hiltz, McCliment, to complete their portion of the study. The board approved on Sept. 2 $600 for township planners Carlisle/Wortman and $18,000 for OHM.
“I was kind of shocked to see these numbers,” said treasurer James Marleau. “I had no idea they would be this high.”
“I was somewhat concerned about the additional cost as well,” trustee Michael Gingell said. “What kind of spurred this to come along now?”
Deb Bobowski of Real Estate Development Research explained that the cost was for reviving phase two of the study.
“We indicated we’d need information from the township engineer (for the study)…to develop a conceptual plan,” she said. “We met with Jim Stevens of OHM, and asked if there are any places we can eliminate things…so you are seeing (that) price, plus the original amount (for OHM).”
Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk said the main purpose behind the Brown Road Study was to determine how much commercial development the community really needed.
“As the planning commission went through the master plan…we looked at the commercial use and zoning quantities in the township,” Gingell said. “I’m definitely incorporating a lot of those lessons into this particular study.”
Clerk Jill Bastian wanted to know where the board would be taking money from to finish paying for the study.
“The only place I can think of is the fund balance,” said Marleau.
Trustee Richard Tomczak asked Bobowski how much more of the project she would be involved with.
“Your time’s drawing to a close, is it not?” he asked.
“We can only proceed so far before we get the information from the engineer,” she replied. “We start doing little pieces of it while you’re developing a conceptual plan.The completion of the second phase is our report,” she continued. “We’re under contract to complete that.”