The Village of Lake Orion Planning Commission approved the design for a proposed dragon mural during its meeting on Sept. 17.

The mural will be created on the north facade of the new four-story building at 120 S. Broadway St.

Planning commissioners had been against the design (pictured here) during their Sept. 3 meeting, with commissioners saying the dragon looked too fierce, they didn’t like the shadows and or the size of the proposed mural.

The downtown arts committee “softened” some of the features, made some minor changes and updates, but it is essentially the same rendering, said Orion Art Center Director Karin Starick, who is a member of the committee.

The Detroit Institute of Arts proposed the mural and agreed to pay for the $15,000 project, which is expected to begin on Oct. 1, said Starick, who “loves” public art features.

“My plan is to bring more community art into downtown Lake Orion,” she said. — J.N.