See if this sounds familiar: Orion Township officials scheduled a public hearing Monday to establish an Industrial Development District within the township.
Heard it before? Clerk Penny Schults led into Monday’s discussion.
‘Earlier this year, the Orion Township Board of Trustees established an Industrial Development District in the southeast portion of the township,? she said. ‘As a result’we have seen additional interest from corporations potentially looking to locate’within the district.?
In order to expand on the momentum, she continued, officials are now proposing the establishment of another IDD adjacent to the already established district.
The board unanimously agreed to move forward with the public hearing, but some had questions.
Trustee Neal Porter suggested adding additional parcels, located adjacent the proposed property, east of Giddings Road.
‘Why would we leave that out?? Porter said. ‘Why not do all the industrial property within this district??
Trustee JoAnn Van Tassel said she was concerned about including a parcel located on the railroad right-of-way, noting the land is not industrial property.
‘I think were in very dangerous territory taking railroad property and making one little section an industrial district,? she said. ‘We are not taking the railroad property further to the south, or the railroad property and the freight yard further to the west; if they came in and asked for (industrial development district zoning) we’d be hard pressed to say ‘no, we’re not going to create a district on the rest of your property,? when on our own volition we’re creating one now.?
But drawing of the new district, Shults explained, was based on the location of the district established in May.
‘It’s contiguous,? Shults said. ‘We took district already in place and moved it forward to the north and kept it contiguous.?
Supervisor Matt Gibb told audience members unfamiliar with the IDD that the first phase grew out of the board’s effort to ‘spur some type of economic regrowth in the south end? when the future of the Orion GM plant became uncertain.
‘We wanted to provide the opportunity for people to come and consider parcels under the statute,? he said, noting the township offers ‘certain tax abatements and other relief,? which some companies are already benefiting from.
The new IDD, he said, would be an extension of the first to ’round out the north side of the district.?
The public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4 at township offices, where maps of the proposed IDD can also be obtained.