Now that Oxford Township’s government has moved into its brand new $1.9 million digs at 300 Dunlap Road, officials last week voted 5-2 to consider selling their old home at 18 W. Burdick St.
‘The village has expressed interest in it,? noted Supervisor Bill Dunn.
Manager Joe Young confirmed he approached the township on behalf of the village, but the issue has not been brought to council.
‘We haven’t really discussed it,? he said. ‘They haven’t deliberated, discussed it, it hasn’t been an agenda item or anything.?
Township officials voted 6-1 to have a commercial real estate broker do an appraisal of the approximately 2,200-square-foot building and the portion of the parking lot the township owns behind its old offices.
Not everyone was in favor of selling the old hall.
‘Right now, nothing is selling well,? said Trustee Sue Bellairs. ‘Just remember that we’re probably not going to get the best price you could get if you could keep it longer.?
Bellairs suggested the township could ‘save a lot of money right now by using? the old space as the substation for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department as opposed to continuing to rent space at the Express Mini Storage facility on M-24, north of the village.
‘You’re going to spend as much as that rent renovating it,? Dunn said ‘You have to have showers.?
‘I disagree,? Bellairs replied. ‘There’s nothing saying right away you have to have showers. I don’t think that’s in the Oakland County contract.?
Trustee Charles Kniffen pointed out that if the township were to use the building for a different purpose, the structure would have to be updated to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
‘The problem is the building is not ADA compliant,? he said. If you change usuage, you’ve got to (bring) it in(to) compliance.?
Kniffen explained the ADA is why the Oxford Township Parks and Recreation Department had to build a wheel chair ramp outside and install automatic doors when it moved into the old library space between the township and village.
‘If we sell the building, then we could finish the lower level of the (new) township hall for the police department,? noted Clerk Clara Sanderson, who added that maybe there would be enough room to move the local cable access station Channel 19 there as well.
A majority of the new hall’s 7,000-square-foot lower level was left unfinished inside, the idea being to complete it as funds became available in the future.
After discussing the details of obtaining an appraisal for a while, Dunn chimed in saying, ‘Let’s cut to the chase here. There’s only going to be one person (the village) that’s going to want that building.?
‘Nothing is for certain,? stressed Young. ‘We have to look at what options there are for development or use of it.?
There are a number of reasons the village might be interested in purchasing the property, one of which is the existing parking, according to Young.
‘They (the township) own half of the lot,? the manager said. ‘From that dumpster over to the middle of the lot, they own it.?
According to information supplied by the village manager, the township owns an estimated 42 parking spaces in the municipal lot.
As for the office space, Young said. ‘We’re not sure what the building part would be for yet.?
‘Future development? is another reason the village may have an interest in acquiring the township site, according to Young.
He referred to the downtown master plan, which has yet to be adopted by council, which ‘calls for there being townhouses here? in the future.