Brandon Twp.- A 10-foot-by-100 foot strip of land along Oakwood Road just north of a proposed entrance to a new Brandon Elementary School may stall the project, after the property owner balked at selling the property to the district.
The strip of land is needed, say school officials to construct an acceleration lane for traffic when it exits north onto Oakwood Road from the new school. The mandate comes from the Road Commission for Oakland County and is the result of a surveying error when Oakwood Road was first constructed that placed the road too far west. The road shift makes the easement land purchase necessary.
The school board voted 7-0 Monday night to approve the purchase of 23 acres just north of Leece Road along Oakwood Road for the construction of the new school. The purchase was contingent on an agreement to buy the Oakwood Road easement from the resident who had considered selling the strip of land prior to the Monday school board meeting, say school officials.
‘We were counting on this easement to get the school started,? said Tom Miller, Brandon Schools superintendent. ‘The board voted on the purchase and fully expected the easement to be sold to the district. Our next move will be to contact our attorney regarding the purchase.?
The property owner could not be reached for comment.
The 23 acres, valued at $500,000 is currently owned by the Tucker Investment Co. LLC, borders several township residents and was one of five locations selected by the district for the new elementary school said Miller.
A letter was issued by the School Board to homeowners along the fringe of the Oakwood Road property regarding the intent of the district. Three of the area property owners attended the meeting and expressed concern regarding the property, including the curves in Oakwood Road where the property is located.
The school will enroll about 350 kindegarden through fourth grade students.
The building project will include a 65,000 square-foot building to replace the aging H.T. Burt Elementary School, a soccer, softball diamond, playgrounds and natural areas as outlined in the recent $73 million district bond extension OK’d by voters earlier this year.