From resort town for wealthy Detroiters to a booming exurb thousands of families call home, the Orion area has gone through many transformations in the last several decades.
What comes next for Orion Township is currently being reviewed through the master plan process, a look at zoning, land use and traffic issues, among others. The state requires every community to visit the master plan every five years.
Orion residents concerned about the township’s direction came to township hall on Feb. 13 to see what’s cooking with all these issues.
The public had a chance to hear from the planning commission and Don Wortman, township planning consultant, about the master plan. More importantly, the public had the opportunity to visit six stations set up around the room each dealing with a respective issue: environmental; parks and recreation; safety paths; water, sewers and drainage; traffic; land use; development procedures and zoning.
Some in Orion haven’t seen eye to eye on the future direction of the township, evidenced most recently by a CVS rezoning on Baldwin Road, which is one of the districts being scrutinized the most by officials and the public alike.
Some Orion residents have seen many master plans come and go.
Jack and Betty McDowell have lived in the township for 50 years, long enough for Betty to remember walking down the middle of Baldwin Road with her children long ago.
The McDowells would like to see Baldwin Road widened, which could potentially make their property along it worth more.
Widening Baldwin has been talked about for more than a decade, and only recently is been revisited again.
Betty McDowell isn’t holding her breath.
‘Nothing is going to change in this township,? said Betty McDowell. ‘This is just a big show tonight.?
Newer residents like Don Mancier think the township is doing a good job. He recently moved to Orion from Rochester Hills.
‘I like to keep abreast of what’s going on,? he said.
Nick Carr has lived in Orion for four years, and, like the McDowells, would like to see Baldwin widened.
But he is encouraged by the community he lives in.
‘I think it’s great here,? he said. ‘I’d like it to remain the same. [This meeting] is a great opportunity to interact with public officials.?
In addition to the planning commission and other township officials, the township was also on hand to meet the public and talk about master plan issues.
Joe Palermo came to the public meeting because of drainage and traffic issues.
‘I’d like to get around a little easier by foot or bike,? he said.
Don Gross, president of Canterbury Woods? neighborhood association, thinks the township is approaching its development appropriately, though more work could be done on traffic and overall planning.
‘I think they need to develop an economic strategy of what kind of development they want to encourage,? he said.