Orion Township will soon have an updated master plan, which will serve as a “long range road map” for the future.
Don Wortman of the township’s planning firm Carlisle/Wortman presented the plan to the Orion Township Board of Trustees on June 2, after the plan was adopted by the planning commission on May 7.
The board voted to accept the plan, which will go back to the planning commission for a formal resolution.
“They want your comments and thoughts,” said Wortman. “This does represent a lot of hard work…we started this in 2000.”
Trustee Eric Wilson said the time and money was well spent.
“I think this is an important step for this township, and I hope we will follow it,” he added.
Some of the changes in the new plan include three new land use classifications that were not featured in the previous plan, adopted in 1992.
“There’s now a new office/mixed use category, which is primarily for the Baldwin and Lapeer Road corridors,” said Wortman. “Then there’s a village center classification…that’s really the village of Gingellville.”
Wortman said the Brown Road area has also been classified differently in the new plan.
“Those are some of the three important areas we’ve highlighted,” he said. “The planning commission looked at 40 properties in depth in those areas.”
Wortman said the plan will also be a road map for future development and guidance for the township.
“The land use plan helps set the tone for future development,” he said. “It will be up to the planning commission and the township board to implement the plan…that’s the next step.”
Wortman said the plan was also developed with an emphasis on traffic.
“We heard over and over again the problems on Lapeer Road and Baldwin Road,” he said. “So the land use focuses on that.”
“The implementation is crucial,” said clerk Jill Bastian. “If we don’t go forward, we end up with problems…neighbors get upset and think we did this to them, when really we have a master plan that didn’t get implemented.”
Bastian wondered if Carlisle/Wortman could provide the township with cost estimates for implementing the plan and making the land use fit the township’s ordinances. Wortman said they could get an estimate
“We will look to the board and the building department for direction,” Wortman said. “What are the priorities?”
Wortman said he could come back to the board in six months or sooner and show the inconsistencies with the master plan and the township’s current zoning.