Own some land in Oxford that’s suitable for building a dormitory capable of housing up to 208 foreign students?
If so, the Weiming Education Group, a company based in the People’s Republic of China, probably wants to speak with you.
‘They’re looking for other properties right now,? said Stephen Auger, owner of the Lake Orion-based Stephen Auger & Associates Architects.
Auger, whose firm was hired to design the dormitory, confirmed the two Oxford sites that were previously being considered for the facility are both off the table.
When asked if there was anything he could share regarding possible leads on new potential sites, Auger replied, ‘We’re so far away on stuff right now, it’s just speculation and that raises everybody’s blood pressure, so we’ll just wait till something happens.?
This reporter contacted Auger after it was revealed during last week’s Oxford Township Planning Commission meeting that negotiations between Burton-Katzman, a development company based in Bingham Farms, and Weiming have ceased.
Planning Commissioner Jack Curtis asked Charles DiMaggio, senior vice president of project development for Burton-Katzman, if his company was still negotiating with Weiming to sell it land for a dormitory. The land is located on the west side of N. Oxford Rd., just south of the Oxford High School football stadium
‘Is that still going on?? Curtis asked.
‘No,? DiMaggio answered.
He told commissioners there’s been nothing but ‘total silence from the other side for the last two months.?
Burton-Katzman’s 5-acre site is where Weiming had proposed constructing a four-story, 58,279-square-foot dormitory with classrooms. The township planning commission granted special land use and preliminary site plan approvals back in March, but as it stands right now, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) would still have to grant two variances in order for the project to move forward on that site.
Neither variance request has come before the ZBA since they were both pulled off the agenda by the project’s architect prior to the May 11 meeting. In an April 27 e-mail to the township, the architect requested a halt to ‘the ZBA process for the Weiming project until further notice.?
Prior to pursuing the 5-acre site, Weiming was looking to construct its dormitory on a 2.71-acre site along E. Market St., west of the high school. However, some contamination found there made it very costly (an estimated $750,000 to $800,000) to cleanup for residential use, so Weiming rejected it, according to Larry Lax, a representative for OXI, LLC, the site’s owner.
Oxford Schools Superintendent Tim Throne told this reporter he’s received the same amount of communication from Weiming as Burton-Katzman has.
‘I haven’t heard anything,? he said. ‘Not one iota.?
Weiming has a 20-year deal with the school district through which Oxford agreed to educate 16-to-18-year-old international students brought here.
‘Just looking at the 20,000-foot view and what’s transpired, or maybe (I) should say not transpired, I really have no idea whether they will one day build a place (to house students) or not,? Throne said.
Throne admitted he’s been extremely busy these days as he continues to make the transition into the superintendent position, which he took over May 7. His plate has been pretty full and he’s not had time to inquire about the proposed Weiming dormitory project.
But communication is a two-way street and Throne would like Weiming to be more proactive about providing status updates.
‘I wish they would at least give us the courtesy of letting us know what they’re thinking, one way or the other,? he said. ‘If we’re in a partnership, then I wish that they would do a better job of letting, quite frankly, everybody know. It affects the whole community.?