The Lake Orion Village Council voted 7-0 during its regular meeting on Monday to approve the proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD) Preliminary Plan from West Construction to redevelop the former Lake Orion High School on Elizabeth Street.

The property, also known as The Ehman Center, is at 55 W. Elizabeth St. Kyle Westberg, owner of West Construction, is proposing to redevelop the current building into apartments and construct another four-story apartment building, with a total of 89 units.

The plan also includes up to 5,000 square feet of commercial/community space.

Of the 20 people who spoke during the public hearing on Monday and the seven who wrote letters, 16 supported the project, three were against it and nine were in favor of redeveloping the property but had concerns about the current plans

The village planning commission had recommended the council approve the PUD preliminary plan at its Oct. 4 meeting. During a public hearing at that meeting, 21 people spoke, with 17 saying they were against the project.

Concerns included the number of apartments, lack of sufficient parking, traffic impact on the village streets, impact on the water and sewer system, noise and the event space in a residential area.

West Construction will now have to go back to the planning commission with engineering plans and will have to get final approval from the village council so residents will have more opportunities to provide comments. – J.N.