With much banter throughout the past year about big box stores in Independence Township, the New Year appears to be ushering in another development debate.
The latest twist involves a presentation for a large medical facility including a hospital made by representatives of McLaren Health Care Corporation to the Independence Township officials on Dec. 22 as reported in the Dec. 28 edition of The Clarkston News.
The $500-600 million multi-phase plan, located on Bow Pointe east of Sashabaw Road and south of I-75, would create a virtual medical mall able to provide an array of medical services and include the four to five story hospital.
In addition to the hospital, as reported previously in The Clarkston News, currently Orco Investments has put forward two distinct plans regarding a 70 plus acre piece of land located at the southwest corner of I-75 and Sashabaw Road. One includes a ‘big box? store, a hotel, an assisted living facility and other commercial buildings.
With these large items out there, township officials and residents have much to mull over in the upcoming months.
‘I don’t think (the McLaren proposal) will affect what Orco’ll do. Hopefully something residential will happen on Orco’s land. With residential if anything the hospital would benefit Orco if you look at the type and amount of people it will bring in,? said Supervisor Dave Wagner.
‘What we’ll run into is a problem with traffic. That’s one of the things I’ll be working on in the next few months to address traffic created by any development along Sashabaw.?
While the potential ‘big box? development has received much negative feedback, the initial response to the McLaren proposal appears to be more positive.
‘I’ve had 30 e-mails today and they’ve all been positive ( in regards to the hospital),? said Wagner. ‘I like it. It will be good for the township. It’s more than a shot in the arm. It will bring jobs, restaurants and other things the people (brought in) will use. They’ll all be professional people.?
Despite the early good feedback by some segments of the community, the idea of McLaren’s hospital may not be welcomed by all.
Citizens for Orderly Growth (COG), a group who reacted negatively to Orco’s proposals has yet to meet since the McLaren proposal, according to member Neil Wallace.
While Wallace could not speak about the wishes of COG as a whole, he did express his own apprehensions about the potential of McLaren coming to Independence Township.
‘I don’t see the hospital any different than the big box anchored commercial center. It’s regional in scope and not meant to serve just Clarkston, but the whole North Oakland county area. So it would raise the traffic issues and other problems that would come with a big box development,? said Wallace.
‘The goal of our master plan and zoning laws is to develop as a quality residential community and that means keeping things on scale to support that goal,? said Wallace.
‘We’ve been striving to develop on a livable scale. That means no commercial development or high rises,? added Wallace who worries that the proposal includes two five story towers. ‘I think a lot of people would see (the proposal) as apple pie, a great thing, but it’s a business and we should receive it as a business and its impact on our community,? said Wallace.
Some members in the Clarkston area medical community think the McLaren proposal has potential to benefit the area though.
‘What’s critical is getting patients to the hospital in the shortest amount of time. That helps determine if they live or die,? said Bob Cesario, EMS Coordinator for Independence Township Fire Department. ‘The hospital could cut our units turn around time in half.?
‘Right now only Beaumont Royal Oak and Genesys in Grand Blanc can handle level one traumas. If a hospital in our community could treat level one trauma’s we would be available to our residents more,? said Cesario.
If McLaren’s plan is implemented, the Clarkston Medical Group (CMG) would move into a medical office building built in the first phase of the project.
‘For CMG, personally it’ll enable us to be more efficient. We have specialists who don’t have offices here and they want to come into the building. It’ll really allow faster access to specialists,? said Dr. Tim O’Neill, president of the CMG.
‘Our plan is to completely move. We plan to make a more clear separation of urgent care from primary care then we have now,? said O’Neill
‘We’d continue to see other doctors? patients for urgent care and on a walk-in basis like now. And we’d send them back to their doctors,? said O’Neill.
Other local officials acknowledge the impact of such a medical complex.
‘Without having the details and the proximity of the hospital to Springfield, it would provide a clear benefit to the residents and community to have a medical facility that like in somewhere close to the township,? said Springfield Township Clerk Nancy Strole.
Watch for updates in The Clarkston News.