Ground was broken last week for a new commercial building in the parking lot of the Oxford Mills Shopping Center on M-24, south of Drahner.
Located in the southeastern portion of the center’s parking lot, in front of Powerhouse Gym and Dollar Discount, the 3,075-square-foot freestanding building was designed to house two tenants and have a drive-through on the south side.
‘One of them will most likely be some type of a coffee shop,? said Bob Casadei, a partner in the Auburn Hills-based Casadei Development, Inc., which owns Oxford Mills.
Casadei Development bought Oxford Mills from the Larson Realty Group in 2005. A family-owned business, Casadei’s brother John is the property manager in charge of the day-to-day operations.
When the Oxford Township Planning Commission approved the final site plan for this outlot building in September 2004, the shopping center was still owned by Larson Realty Group.
‘We inherited their plans,? Casadei said. ‘We just stepped into their shoes in the process.?
Caribou Coffee was listed as one of the tenants in the approved plans.
‘Actually, that’s still a possibility,? Casadei said.
He noted his company was ‘reluctant? to sign a lease with Caribou Coffee because there was ‘uncertainty? as to whether the building was actually going to be constructed due to lengthy delays in getting the necessary permits from the state and township.
Casadei said the building needed permits from both the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Oxford Township for water and sewer taps on M-24.
‘There was a stalemate where (MDOT) wouldn’t give us their permit till we got a permit from Oxford for the taps,? he said. ‘And we couldn’t get a permit from Oxford until we got a permit from MDOT. It sounds silly, but we were in that stalemate forever where we couldn’t get a permit from either one.?
Casadei credited Building Official Mike Darling for being ‘gracious enough? to issue the township’s permit to get the whole thing started.
‘He got the ball rolling for us,? Casadei said. ‘He made the thing come together finally in the 11th hour.?
Now that all the permits have been secured and the building is underway, Casadei said Caribou Coffee is ‘still a viable option.?
‘They wanted the drive-through capability,? he noted.
‘Our studies show virtually everybody in Oxford comes past that way in the morning and would probably love to get a cup of coffee through a drive-through,? Casadei explained. ‘We happen to think this will be convenient for a lot of residents.?
Although Caribou Coffee is a possibility, Casadei was quick to note, ‘At this point, we have not locked into any one specific tenant.?
‘There are at least a dozen other possibilities, but I’d prefer not to mention any of the other one at this point,? he said, noting if one tenant wants the entire building, that’s an option.
With construction underway, Casadei said, ‘We’re hoping for a spring completion.?
‘At the very least,? he hopes to have the parking lot and pavement restored and the building’s shell erected and enclosed before winter.