BY LISA VALENTINE
Lake Orion Review Staff Writer
The Orion Township Planning Commission has been given the green light from the board of trustees to go forward with an overlay district for Baldwin Road.
The district will be used to create Baldwin/Gingellville design guidelines with new zoning regulations and/or design standards based on recent development activities in the Gingellville area and the adoption of the township’s new master plan.
Planning commission chairman John Steimel said the district will help promote a ‘village center? in the Baldwin area.
‘The planning commission continues to try to stay proactive on changes happening in the township,? he said at the March 15 board meeting. ‘One of the main issues that has come up, requested by citizens, was this Baldwin Road Overlay District.?
Steimel said the planning commission identified the area as ‘unique? in the township, and were now ready to take the next step of working with township planner Don Wortman of Carlisle/Wortman to develop the district.
‘There have been lots of citizens involved and there’s a lot of citizen support,? he said. ‘We want to put the proper ordinances in place for what people want, before someone beats us to it.?
Wortman has provided the township with a cost estimate for his services, ranging between $15,000 and $19,000.
The board approved spending an amount not to exceed $19,000, to come from expenses for the planner and the rest from the planning commission for them to hold any necessary additional meetings outside of their regular ones to work on the district.
‘I want to applaud you,? clerk Jill Bastian said. ‘This hasn’t always been the next step after a master plan.?
‘This has been a community effort,? said supervisor Jerry Dywasuk, adding that he hoped parts of Baldwin Road wouldn’t be forgotten in the district.
‘Most of the discussion has been about Morgan north to Maybee Road,? Steimel said. ‘I would like to have discussions about that whole (Baldwin) area.
‘There would be a village center for the overlay district, and there’s a little strip in there that’s kind of fallen between the cracks,? he said.
Trustee Richard Tomczak asked if the district would be concerned with the widening of Baldwin Road, and Steimel said most overlay districts are 600 feet.
‘There’s a particular image we want to bring across, the concept of the village look,? he said.
Tomczak recommended the township talk with their attorneys to see if there are any existing ordinances that could be used to enforce the idea of the village look.
‘Such as window treatments and signs…rather than just using the guidelines (from the overlay district),? he said.