It is now only a matter of time before a land exchange in Orion Township between the State of Michigan and a private developer is completed.
Orion Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk was disappointed at the National Park Service’s decision to grant approval for the swap, which the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has been pursuing for the past several years.
About 90 acres of property along Lapeer and Scripps Roads, currently part of the Bald Mountain State Recreation area, will be turned over to developer Mike Weger, who will in turn give 82.7 acres of his property in Oakland and Addison Townships to the state.
The state is interested in Weger’s property because it has access to Indian Lake and is adjacent to Bald Mountain.
Orion Township officials fear that once Weger owns the property on Lapeer Road, he may try to have it rezoned for a development other than the recreational use currently approved.
‘We feel we’ve done as much as we can,? Dywasuk said. ‘I hope the developer will live up to his word, and use it as outdoor recreation.?
Dywasuk said if some other use besides recreation is proposed, the township will ‘have to fight in court.?
‘Mr. Weger has said his intention is to abide by the zoning,? he said. ‘We wouldn’t be doing our job though if we didn’t protect the interests of the township and its citizens.?
The MDNR has had to get approval from the US Department of Interior for the exchange, because the property on Lapeer/Scripps was partially purchased with federal grants.
The National Park Service’s Midwest Regional Grants office, located in Omaha, Nebraska, has given approval.
Jim Krejci of the NPS said it is now back to the state.
‘A time line will depend on when the state gets the proper information to our office,? said Krejci, National Park Service Outdoor Recreation Planner. ‘This information will give both sites appraisal information, acreage, recreational use and effects on the remaining park area.?
Orion Township hired attorney Beier Howlett to help fight the swap, and attorney Trey Brice said at this point there really isn’t anything else the township can do.
‘The township is out of any exchange,? he said.
Brice said the state will now go through the exchange process, getting an accurate description and bringing it back to the NPS.
‘Then it will be added as an amendment,? Brice explained. ‘Most of it was more political than legal at any point.?
Brice said the NPS said it couldn’t consider the township’s concerns about the possible effects on infrastructure, such as traffic.
‘They said we can’t even consider that,? he added. ‘We could have been Chicken Little by their perspective. But we have the studies to back it up.?
According to Brice, if Weger leaves the zoning recreational, the township will do nothing.
‘If he doesn’t, they will have to figure out how to deal with that zoning,? he said.