By Meg Peters
Review Staff Writer
Orion Township is leading North Oakland County in new building permits, a recent report from the Homeowners Building Association of Southeast Michigan found.
Orion Township ranks second by value in all of Oakland County, at $26.9 million. Lyon Township leads for the county in total permit value at $28.8 million.
Since’January 1’Oakland County has issued a total of 125 new permits throughout Orion. To compare, Troy was issued 68 permits from January to June, Independence Township received a total of 61 new permits, Rochester Hills got 31, Oxford Twp. 30, and Auburn Hills came in at 16 new permits.
The majority of the new Orion permits are for a plethora of new houses popping up in the southeast quadrant of the township along Silverbell and Dutton roads in a new community titled Stonegate West, composed of two homebuilders.
Pulte Homes owns the majority of Stonegate, at 140 total lots, and has sold 69 to date averaging $400,000.
Brandon Jones, Pulte’s Michigan Division President, said the new development is ‘exceeding our expectations all across the board.?
‘We are doing twice as well as we thought we would which is great,? he said. ‘We are finding that people really want to live in Orion Township.?
Of the 69 new tenants in the Pulte section of Stonegate, 16 permits were pulled from Rochester Hills residents and eight permits were purchased by Troy residents, with the rest coming from other neighboring communities such as Waterford, Sterling Heights, Royal Oak, Auburn Hills, Macomb and Farmington Hills.
Hunter Pasteur homebuilders are constructing the other 111 lots at Stonegate, of which 18 are already taken by newcomers.?
Randy Wertheimer, Hunter Pasteur owner and president, initially projected selling 30 homes a year, but at this rate is ‘cautiously optimistic? they might sell more than that.
‘This month alone (July) we sold five houses. If we can sell at least three houses a month we can beat our projections,? Wertheimer said. Hunter Pasteur homes at Stonegate average from $300,000 to $350,000.
Together both homebuilders have sold a total of 89 homes, agreeing that Orion’s current market and location are major attractions for people moving to the area.
‘We knew we were entering an area with great schools and a close proximity to highways and entertainment, but most importantly there is very little inventory here,? Wertheimer said. ‘When you drive through existing neighborhoods that are five and ten years old there are no for-sale signs, we knew building new homes was a no-brainer.?
Most of the residents moving into Hunter Pasteur homes are young families moving out of their start-up homes, many with young children, he added.
Hunter Pasteur is also on the brink of announcing a new development in Orion Township, but was not ready to release details.
As for Pulte’also managing two other current developments in Orion Township’Jones attributes development trends to Orion’s’features.
‘There is a wealth of activities for residents and we love the parks and amenities,? said Jones. He said they are interested in pursuing further development in the community.
About 25 percent of landmass in Orion Township is lakes or parks. It is one of the reasons future Stonegate homeowners the Ustruck family has chosen to live in Stonegate West.
Rachael Ustruck, the mother of two children, ages one and three, and her husband Matt are moving from Rochester Hills and waiting to build from the ground up.
‘It’s the school district for one,? she said. ‘It’s a beautiful area over there and it’s a great location because it’s right between both downtown Lake Orion and downtown Rochester.
And it’s exciting to be in a new community too. There are lots of opportunities to meet people.?
Apart from the Stonegate community, Pulte is also in charge of the development in progress at Scripps Rd. and M24, where new infrastructure is under way.
The development at Scripps and Lapeer will be a combination of condominiums, two-story houses and a strip of retail butting up to M24. Jones expects a model to be open early winter.
‘It’s smaller, no maintenance homes for people who want less work and to downsize,? he said. The community will consist of 82 condos and 95 two-story homes, ranging from $275,000 to $300,000, and will be built over the next couple of years.
The third group of Pulte Homes is currently being developed off Indianwood Rd. in a community called Turnberry.
Jones believes Pulte will continue developing in Orion Township and has his eyes on another piece of land, the Bald Mountain Golf Course.
‘We picked Bald Mountain Golf Course because it’s in Orion Township. It’s a great location for homes and a good opportunity for us to continue our success we’ve had in the community,? Jones said.
A joint public hearing between the Orion Township board of trustees and planning commission is scheduled for Wednesday, September 3 at 7:05 p.m.’to discuss the Bald Mountain Planned Unit Development.
Pulte Homes is proposing a 387 unit community of single family homes over the span of 236 acres, is under contract with the private golf course owners, and has the option to purchase.