The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Village looks at former Pilot Plant property for offices
By Sean Dalton, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: August 7, 2008
Village staff is authorized to hire consultants to assist with evaluating the former Pilot Plant at 7931 Grand Street for potential office space.
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The Village Council has been going back and forth on various options for office space, ranging from potential space in a proposed commercial building to the existing Dexter District Library building on Third Street.
After taking tours of nearly a dozen sites in the downtown district last month, the council gave the nod to Village Manager Donna Dettling and her staff to work with Cornerstone Design Inc. of Ann Arbor and Livonia based Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment.
The product of that agreement will include a site feasibility study and other facets of evaluating the Grand Street location structure and grounds as part of a 90-day due diligence period, which could lead to a purchase.
"We still have to confirm who is going to do what," Dettling said. "Council will meeting (later this month) to make sure we're on the right track."
Once the consultants have put together concepts and "good data to base a decision," they will follow through with the evaluation of the Pilot site, which could house village offices, police, fire and any number of other functions and programs, according to village officials.
The village is authorized by council to spend a maximum of $26,500 for the two firms' services.
Cornerstone was sought out due to their familiarity with the Pilot building.
"As a resident of Dexter, I feel that this property has never lived up to its full potential," said Cornerstone's Richard Henes in a proposal letter to the village.
Henes' firm worked with the owners of the Pilot building and grounds years ago on several projects, including office renovations, site plans for office additions and parking lot studies.
"The site backs up to the newly unleashed Mill Creek and has a strong corner presence; two site characteristics never capitalized on by the previous owners," Henes said. "Redeveloping the property as a business/town center will bring the general public into a part of Dexter which has not been viewed as a people welcoming place.
"The influx of potential customers along one of the main village corridors may entice new businesses to develop along Baker and Grand."
Village President Shawn Keough is eager to learn more from the consultants. He says that nothing is set it stone as of yet and the Pilot property has not even been looked at hard enough for the village to make an offer, let alone seal a deal.
"We want to evaluate the site for potential use as regional storm water detention and we want to look at some architectural layouts for multiple uses within the building," he said.
He also said that the village needs evaluation of the building's infrastructure, square footage and use/placement of ramps and stairwells.
The consultants could be used on other potential properties later, according to Keough.
"The scope is not just the Pilot property," he said.
Former Village President Paul Bishop expressed his opinion later during a call on an unrelated matter.
"My only question is, they want to take two or three months to figure it out ... before you go into these things you usually have a plan," Bishop said. "A plan to spend $2 million on a building site without 'a plan' is not very wise and the village should not be in the redevelopment of that downtown. They already bought the DAPCO building for $2 million."
Bishop says he thinks that potential to put taxpayers in a "precarious position" is high.
"If they had a plan I would be willing to sit down and look at it," he added, noting that he knows as little as anybody else, but would be open to hearing proposals.
Keough said that the village is a fair ways off snapping up the Pilot building, reiterating that no offer price exists with the owner or the village, at least on a public basis.
"Part of our evaluation in the 90 days is to allow us to try and determine what that offer might be and figure out our financing options to pay for the building," he said. "We might lease a portion of the building out while we figure out what we're doing with it. That's down the road."
According to Keough, the general sentiment on the council is that the Pilot building should be looked at now, lest it be off the table during future considerations and village officials regret it.
"No one is saying this is a perfect scenario, but the general consensus is that this is an opportunity that we should seriously consider and evaluate," Keough said.
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