Do you have an opinion on how land in Orion Township should be developed in the future? Want to see certain types of housing developments and limits on others?

The public can give input into the future of Orion Township during the Orion Township’s Planning Commission’s open house on June 16.

Planning commissioners want to get additional input from citizens for an update of the community’s Master Plan, which was last completed in 2017.

The open house is just one of several opportunities for residents to provide input on the township’s Master Plan. This spring, an online survey was conducted, and a second open house will take place in the fall.

“Our Master Plan acts as a guide for future development decisions in our township,” said Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett. “The planning commission and board of trustees refer to it when evaluating proposals from developers and others. Our goal is to address the ever-growing needs of our residents while maintaining the charm of our community as much as possible.”

The open house will feature various stations, each highlighting a section of the Master Plan – including community demographics, land use, transportation (motorized and non-motorized), housing and natural features. Each station will be staffed by a member of the planning commission, who will facilitate discussions with community members.

The meeting also features an exercise where community members will rank by priority potential projects being considered by township leadership.

“We hope to see a large number of people at the open house,” said planning commission Chairman Scott Reynolds. “One of the best ways for us to secure the ideas and thoughts from our fellow residents is through events like this. We’ll closely review all of the feedback we receive as we complete the update of the Master Plan during the next several months.”

Community members also will be able to provide feedback on the information shared in the open house stations online, via a link found at the Orion Township website, OrionTownship.org/MasterPlan. This link will be active from June 16-21.

The regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting on June 16 begins at 7 p.m., 30 minutes after the close of the open house. The public can attend the meeting in-person. – J.N.