Nearly 60 residents and business owners filled the Independence township hall meeting room at the April 21 board meeting in hopes that the board would move forward in efforts to revitalize the Dixie Highway corridor.
Presentations were given by Township Planner Dick Carlisle, Planning Commission Chairman Sam Moraco, Don Bolton of Clarkston State Bank, local business owner and resident Jim Eppink, and former Township Clerk Joan McCrary.
Moraco outlined the Dixie Highway revitalization committee’s main objectives were to focus on retaining current businesses, filling vacant buildings, and attracting new businesses. Ideas to achieve these goals included creating a rehabilitation district, changing of sign ordinances, offering tax incentives for new businesses to come here by waiving capital fees and tap fees.
Manger of Oakland County Planning and Economic Development Services Dan Hunter said he had met with Moraco and was very impressed with what the committee had came up with in a short amount of time.
‘Here we have businesses rolling up their sleeves offering suggestions. Mr. Carlisle had some possible tools and I’m here to say proactive is the essential today,? Hunter said. ‘Get those things on the windshield and make some of them happen, from signage to the marketing to maybe some of the incentives that are out there? It’s a response to the businesses.?
Trustee Neil Wallace said the board had to be cautious when talking about tax incentives, because currently tax revenues are going down.
‘When we start talking about providing monetary incentives, we need to be analyzing the other side of that picture,? he said. ‘The picture that we have been presented is the effects on existing or businesses that might come here and that’s all real interesting, but we need to all make a judgment based on an analysis what those capital charges are for and what the effect is going to be.?
Wallace also said it was ‘time to bring in the professionals? such as Linda Richardson and Plante Moran as to how this would affect the township; however, Treasurer Curt Carson disagreed. He said ‘government is very rarely the answer to any problem.?
‘We’re in situation tonight where we have an opportunity to be bold and move forward in a very positive direction or we can muck everything up and have another study and spend another $30,000 to $50,000 on things that we already know. The situation that we have right now is that we have businesses that are barely holding on. Thirty to forty percent of our businesses have probably already failed and left,? he said. ‘What we’re trying to do here is revitalize a corridor that has been in desperate need for a very long time.
‘What we’ve actually done here is put together a model that with taking government, the businesses, the property owners, the residents in the area, the chamber of commerce and done something that is great,? Carson said. ‘These people have all come together, they’ve all worked very hard and now we’re saying ‘thanks for your work, but we’ll just go get some other expert.? Well who says that expert is any better than the experts we already have??
Moraco said the waiving of the capital fees and tap fees were biggest marketing tool they had, but Linda Richardson said there was a misconception concerning the tap fees and capital fees and they were actually one in the same.
‘The revitalization of Dixie Highway does not benefit the water and sewer system,? she said. ‘The water and sewer system is already established.?
Richardson said the only way the water and sewer would benefit is if new businesses came in and extended the water and sewer, but she said even then they wouldn’t waive fees.
‘Ten communities I talked too, nobody waives capital connection fees,? she said. And Water and Sewer doesn’t get tax dollars so you’re not benefiting the system.?
They did vote unanimous for Carlisle to pursue the establishment of a rehabilitation district through a Commercial Rehabilitation Act or a Brownfield tax and to report back to the board as soon as possible.
Though Wallace did voice his concern that he thought it was too ‘premature? and that he would like to see a ‘more comprehensive kind of plan? through an overlay district.
Moraco said an overlay district, which regulates the aesthetics of the area, though important should not be confused with the rehabilitation act being implemented.
‘That has nothing to do with giving the township a tool at their discretion, site specific to award relief to people coming in to invest in our community and that would be a huge mistake the drag your feet on letting Mr. Carlisle make a comprehensive report on which district act and which mechanism would work the best for this community and move that forward getting done.?
Trustee Larry Rosso agreed if the board does nothing it’s not helping anybody.
‘It’s not helping our community. It can be a win, win it might not be, but it can be if certain things fall in place,? he said. ‘We do what we can do to help stimulate improvements along Dixie Highway. The businesses will do what they can do to take advantage of that. This is like our mini stimulus program in effect. We’re trying to do something on a small scale for small business and I think we owe it to this community.?
The board also voted unanimous to change the temporary sign ordinance, which would allow business owners to place temporary signs four times a year on a 14 day intervals.
Susan Auger said she was pleased at the number of business owners that showed up to the meeting.
‘I was pleased with the outcome of the people showing up. The trustees were responsibly responsive and I commend them for that,? she said. ‘I am encouraged that this will continue and we’ll get Dixie Highway back the way it should be and it will start prospering again.?
Eppink was also impressed by the board.
‘I really think all the board members particularly Neil Wallace was really asking some good questions rather than just summarily denying it and keeping status queue or saying ‘yeah go ahead and do whatever you,?? Eppink said. ‘I do think it’s appropriate to study some of these issues further and see how they attack the tax base and the development community, but everything I think was moving forward in a positive way.?
Moraco said the board gave the committee ‘the easy stuff,? but he is anxious to see how long it will take them to give them something of significance.
‘We’re happy that we got something, but we haven’t achieved anything that makes us marketable where it’s going to give us any advantage to fill any vacant space,? he said. ‘We’ll see how much they’re really willing to do for the business owners.?