Two village boards think financially helping a developer with his storm water system is a good idea. Members of the Lake Orion Village Council aren’t so sure.
They decided on Oct. 25 to table a suggestion by the village’s board of zoning appeals to help Symphony Homes with the cost of a 15 inch storm drain pipe on Park Island Road.
Symphony Homes wants to build three buildings housing three residential units each on the east side of Park Island. Currently, there’s a single family home on the property.
The board’s reasoning was the pipe would benefit the whole neighborhood.
Members of Lake Orion’s Downtown Development Authority board agreed and took action to share the cost on a 50/50 basis up to $15,000.
Council members have to approve the budget adjustment needed to fund the project.
According to council president Bill Siver, the area in question has had long-time problems with the storm drains. ‘The manholes are shallow. When they fill up (in the winter), they freeze. Water runs down the road . The DPW has used torches to thaw them (manholes) out,? he said.
The developer is building an underground collection system to handle most of the on-site storm water. The driveways of the buildings closest to the road would still drain towards the road. The system is designed to outlet to the existing six inch storm drain in Park Island Road.
Neighbors had been worried about the development because approximately 566 cubic yards of fill dirt needs to be put on the property. The amount of fill was a concern as to how it would impact the handling of storm water, according to LO Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel.
After a public hearing and several other meetings, there was an agreement that the developer would provide a 10 foot wide easement on this land for the installation of the new 15 inch pipe and a sidewalk.
The easement would be of benefit to the village, Van Tassel said , because the road wouldn’t have to be dug up for the installation.
‘There’s a lot of fill in there already and the developer’s adding more. That just adds to the problem. The project’s too big. If it wasn’t there, we wouldn’t be doing this,? councilman Tom Albert said. ‘If he needs it, let him put it in.?
Councilman Douglas Dendel also thought the developer should pay for the whole project.
Some council members believe a 15 inch drain wasn’t necessary, that a smaller one would be adequate.
‘The neighbors weren’t opposed to the project. They were worried about making a bad situation worse. That’s when the 15 inch drain came up at a meeting on the site.
‘The neighbors were concerned about water standing on the road. This was an attempt to solve a neighborhood problem,? Van Tassel said. ‘They have to drive through it every day.?
The DDA will also benefit from the tax revenue from the construction of the condominium units.
Steve Berges of Symphony Homes said the original plan didn’t have a 15 inch system because everything was going to be contained on the site.
‘We worked with the residents to solve an ongoing problem,? Berges said. ‘We felt we were being fair to ask because we weren’t benefiting. We’re actually improving the water situation.
‘We would rather avoid installing a 15 inch line because we would save money. It’s costing us an extra $30,000.?
One of the benefits of a 15 inch diameter pipe, according to Berges, would it would never fill up completely. ‘Even if the bottom half froze, it would still be able to handle it,? he added.