The outcome of a meeting held last week in Lansing regarding a request from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to swap state property in Orion Township for property owned by a developer did not go as Orion Township officials had hoped.
Although the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) Clearinghouse Review Committee recently recommended the MDNR purchase the privately-owned property outright, rather than swapping Bald Mountain property for it, new MDNR Director Rebecca Humphries recommended approval on Sept. 9 for the MDNR’s request to swap land.
‘She said she still needs to talk with some legislators, like Mike Bishop for one,? said Orion Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk. ‘The questions they asked us were, if the property is to stay zoned Recreation-2…with our master plan and zoning, what are we worried about.?
Dywasuk said his concern was that after the property went into the private hands of developer Mike Weger, if a swap went through, the township could lose control of it.
‘Once we go to a judge, we’re pretty much at their mercy,? he said.
The United States Secretary of the Interior would ultimately have to approve any land swap for the MDNR.
‘So this may take a while,? Dywasuk said.