Groveland Twp.-From an artillery range to a water park to even a prison’a 191-acre parcel of township-owned property has been considered over the years for a host of projects.
Now that same property near Grange Hall Road and I-75 will be on the market this spring in hopes of attracting just the right buyer for the township. Last summer the township board OK’d $20,000 for an appraisal of the property, and is now expected to approve the listing of the property at the April 14 meeting.
‘Right now there’s about eight developers that have expressed interest in the property,? said Bob DePalma, township supervisor.
‘Key is getting the property back on the tax rolls and producing an income source for the township.?
While DePalma did not disclose the asking price for the property, it has been estimated at several million dollars for the parcel which borders I-75 and Grange Hall Road.
‘If we don’t get what we want for the property, we’ll take it off the market in a year or so,? he said. ‘We’ll also consider a payment plan over the next 20 years, rather than just a lump sum of money for the property. The income will go back into the township and spread over several projects.?
Key in the sale and marketing of the commercial property will be several proposed upgrades to the area infrastructure.
Last fall, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department proposed a major waterline extension that will stretch from northern Oakland County to Flint, potentially opening up large rural areas to development, including the township property.
‘Our master plan has incorporated this water line plan in the next few years,? said Mary Sevakis, spokesperson for the DWSD. ‘It’s going to help produce some jobs for Michigan.?
DePalma said Detroit officials had contacted him regarding the project, which includes a proposed extension off the main I-75 Detroit water line to Grange Hall Road and the township property.
The waterline project ? the biggest system expansion since the 1970s ? will cost several hundred million dollars and be paid for by water and sewer customers across southeast Michigan instead of merely by communities along the proposed route, said Sevakis.
John O’Brien, division director for the Genesee County Waste Water services said the Detroit officials contacted him last year regarding the project.
‘The plan for the water line is up I-75 to Dort Highway in Burton,? he said.
‘There is a proposal in the works but that may be a few years away’at least until Detroit gets other problems solved first. I would speculate by 2010 the project should start rolling.?
Sevakis agreed.
‘We’re looking at 2009 to complete the design for the water loop, and construction soon after,? she said. Right now the Detroit City Council has the plan and will vote on the project in the next few months.?
In addition to the Detroit water line, O’Brien added, a plan for sewers to the northern section of Groveland Township is also under consideration.
‘The northern section of Groveland Township is included in the Genesee County Master Plan,? he said.
‘Rather than coming down Saginaw Street south to Dixie Highway, the sewer lines would come over from Atlas Township on Gale Road and then turn west to Groveland Township to Dixie Highway. The current system in Grand Blanc Township is too small to handle the addition of the Groveland and Holly area.?
No time frame for the sewer development was disclosed by O’Brien, however a plan should available in the next few months.