LAKE ORION, Mich. (WXYZ) — For decades, a century-old lumberyard served the Lake Orion community, but for the last couple of years, it has sat dormant in the heart of downtown, awaiting its next life. Now, the Downtown Development Authority has big plans to transform one of the community's most visible spots from blight into a destination.
"A site here in town that has turned into blight. But we're turning it into something really cool. We're doing what we do best: preserving our history and telling our story," said Matt Gibbs, executive director for Lake Orion's Downtown Development Authority.
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Jeffrey Lindblom is 7 News Detroit's Lake Orion beat reporter. If you have a story idea for her, email her at Jeffrey.Lindblom@wxyz.com.
The DDA has taken the old lumberyard under their wing. The property is viewable from Broadway Street, right before heading into the city's downtown area.
"It's going to be a really cool project here in Orion," Gibbs said.
The space was once overwhelmed by blight, but the DDA is already well underway in giving it new life.
"So, the big blight that was there a year ago has been mostly removed," Gibbs said.
Lake Orion resident Larry Newman has noticed the improvements.
"It looks a lot cleaner than it used to," Newman said.
Newman says he heard about the plans to re-purpose the old structures into community-based buildings, both hanging onto history and broadening the downtown strip.
"I think it's a great idea," Newman said.
The DDA has virtually nailed down all of their plans for the redevelopment. The project will include a public market with beer or coffee, a new bakery and bike shop, an eight-room hotel and a trailhead.
"You can start your bike ride, you can finish your run," Gibbs said.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about the project. Lawrence Kostanecki, a 30-year resident, doesn't like the plan.
"I think it's a joke," Kostanecki said. "Oh, we've got to salvage that, that's historic."
Kostanecki says he doesn't understand the need for maintaining the lumberyard's history, doesn't have much faith in the project's summer construction timeline and wishes the money went toward something else.
"Five story casino... get some money in this village," Kostanecki said.
Newman is happy with the plan, especially the potential bonus of 129 parking spots.
"The lumberyard is going out and it's going to bring new things that we need into the community," Newman said.
The new space could start hosting events as early as August.
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