Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 56

E-2 THE STATE JOLUXAL June 1 5, 1 980 I Delta propelled by active but balanced growth policy fi1ii.1teiMiii -r- in --r i r- iniff' r- muTtm i iiiiirinri'ii' --ririrr 1 people should look past short-run ups-and-downs and see a long-run picture. "IN THE 1974 recession, for example, housing in Delta and elsewhere took quite a nosedive," Brown said. "But in the last couple of years, we've jumped back on the curve up and, over a long-run, I see a steady growth in residential." Philip Chisholm, township planning commission chairman, said he didn't see the diesel engine plant as the end of Delta's industrial growth. "General Motors just announced a $40 billion expansion plan," Chisholm said. "I think Oldsmobile would get some of that.

And other firms are locating out here, too." THE LACK of utilities in some areas is currently limiting Delta's growth, most observers agree. "Utilities are the key to development," Graham said. "As you can see on our maps, development generally follows water and sewer lines." The southeast end of the Delta industrial tract has no water and sewer lines, so there is no development in that area as yet. About 50 percent of the industrial tract bordered by Interstate 96 and 496 and Grand Trunk Railroad is unused, Graham said. BROWN, WHO is an Oldsmobile engineer, noted, "That is the only real area in the township conducive to industry, and we still have many large plant sites that interest companies.

"When it fills, that will probably be it for industrial. We will then have one of the largest industrial parks in Michigan and the tax benefits will put us in excellent shape." Residential growth west of Interstate 96 is limited by a lack of water and sewer service, too. "Until utilities are extended there perhaps in the 1990s there won't be much growth," Graham said. INFLATION COULD limit future growth, trustee Brown thinks. "Because the township revenues have not kept pace with inflation," Brown said, "we are having fewer and fewer capital improvements in the township as time goes by.

This is going to restrict development. Four-part Meijer Thrifty Acres warehouse complex from the air Concluded from page E-l Next month, construction is sched- uled to start on a 102-room addition to I the Hilton Inn. Auto-Owners Insurance plans to begin construction on a multi-l million dollar, 200-room Sheraton hotel this fall, next to its home office and Verndale Office Park at Creyts and In- terstate496. STANDING AS the largest Delta project is the new $181.4 million Olds- mobile diesel engine plant on Canal and Mt. Hope, being constructed now for an August 1981 start-up date.

Olds officials said 1,600 new jobs will I be created by the 907,000 square-foot 1 plant, which will produce 400,000 en- gines for General Motors Corp. yearly. The facility will occupy 128.1 acres of the 281.1 acres purchased by Olds, with 602,000 square feet of developed roads and 7,500 linear feet of railroad track. Several planned residential unit such as Shenandoah on Creyts and Willow Creek on Willow Highway are being considered by 'the. township.

current or proposed construc-rtiOnin the township, according to the 'township planning office: ljBLUE ARROW TRUCKING, Car-rier; Creek Condominiums, Clark-tSQhaifer office building, Delta Downs rOfflee Park, Detroit News printing Dutch Hill Farms subdivision, 'Michigan Hospital Association, Lodge, 3-M office building, I Pentecost retail building, Rax Roast Ryder Truck Rental, Stravada "SHorjping Center, Taco Toys Us, Villa Le Grand Condominiums, Westland Park industrial plat, Westshire office building, West Wind Apartments, and Willow Woods subdivision. Township growth is slowing for now because of the recession, Delta officials observed. But they said the long-run picture is still bright. AS MARK GRAHAM, township planning director, remarked, "There is no doubt about it; there is a slowdown in residential going on now. Commer- cial and industrial are not experiencing a slowdown this year, just a lag time for planning which most people don't understand." "Barring unforeseen circumstances, we expect continued growth.

The land, i zoning and utilities are there." Graham cited new residential building permits as evidence of this year's recessionary slowdown. For the first five months of 1980, 12 permits were issued compared to 53 for the same pe- rkxHn 1979. Z'-l HAVE also noticed that the num-bef of calls by developers have dropped off about 50 percent from last year," the planner said. "Last year, we had two or three scheduled appoint- merits a week with developers to discuss their plans. "There is a rush of development in 1981, with about 30 projects ongoing, but ho one knows what will happen af-! ter that.

Industrial development, espe-l cially, can be very sporadic. You can land three big contracts in a month, then have none for a year." Lyle Brown, township trustee, said Added Brown, "The voters would decide (on millages for roads) when it is presented to them. "I THINK roads are one of our biggest problems, not only for expansion, but in existing residential areas. Unfortunately, we cannot prevent growth. The courts will not allow us to put moratoriums on growth.

All we can do is guide growth as intelligently as we can that has the least adverse effect." Township officials agree that recent expansion keeps pressure on for more services. But they also feel the added tax base from new development will more than pay for needed increases in water and sewage disposal, police and fire protection and park and recreation needs. Brown said growth in commercial development will depend on future consumer needs and other factors. "THERE IS a lot of commercial "We may have to require residential developers to pay for roads outside their development in the future if they expect to be approved by Delta Township." Roads in Delta have been a problem since the township began growing in the early '60s. A few roads have been improved by public and private money, but most are in the same condition as when Delta was a rural area growing to suburbia.

"THE PROBLEM is who is going to pay for the roads," Chisholm remarked. "Will it come out of our general fund, or will a millage have to be floated? I don't think a millage would be popular today." "But the need is there to improve and expand roads. Some improvements to Michigan Avenue are in the mill with federal funds, but there have been some tie-ups. I understand there will be some construction movement next summer." growth now, such as Hudson's. People are moving to Delta and they want services," he said.

"In the future, we'll be tightning up on the number of curb cuts in a block (to avoid strip development), demanding more site plan review and asking for more frontage from developers (for building service drives needed with fewer curb cuts)." The erosion of residential areas by commercial and office space has concerned many Delta residents. "It's not the amount; it's the location," said Chisholm, a Michigan Department of Transportation employee. "We've got to preserve some of the (residential neighborhood) 'islands' from office encroachment. "THERE IS a tendency for major roads to become office strips and that is not necessary. This is where we'll have to be careful." The increasing number of apartments worries some Delta residents, too.

"I'm quite concerned that we be careful about the mix of single-family homes and apartments, so there is not an adverse effect on our citizens," Brown said. Commented Chisholm, "I get concerned about the proliferation of apartment houses. They may be OK now, but who knows what will happen in the future to them? We will want to keep a balance between apartments and residential; there is a need for both." AS FOR the continuation of Delta's "open-door" attitude towards industrial growth, trustee Brown said, "If the township retains the same type of people our citizens have been electing in the past, I think we will pretty much retain a responsible policy. "Actually, 'open-door' is an inaccurate term. We've had companies come in and find out there would be problems with getting utilities and meeting our regulations.

But we tell them they have to meet our standards." Delta has a reputation for being "pro-business" and free with rezonings and tax abatements. BROWN NOTED he has voted against some rezonings that would have reduced tax base and said he thinks there are a lot of misconceptions about abatements. "We're finally getting some industry into the area after a lot of hard work and over a number of years (some) citizens think they are making up the taxes for business. "They don't realize industry and business return many more times in tax revenues for what they need in services, while the reverse is true in single-family residences." AND IF DELTA didn't have a pro-business image, Brown thinks some companies would not be coming into the township. Brown is aware of a firm that is looking at Michigan and Alabama sites for a new plant.

"This company and I can't specify who it is can save $189 million in taxes over the next 25 years in Alabama and be able to price its products more competitively," he said. "If the Michigan municipality involved does not grant an abatement, the firm will locate the plant in Alabama. So there have to be some incentives for people to locate up here." Brown doesn't think Delta needs to become a city to continue growing. "THE MAIN PROBLEM with not being a city, as I see it, is Delta Township doesn't have control over its storm drains and roads. If we can get the state and the legislature to give large townships control over those two items, there would be no need for us to become a city," he said.

Concluded on page E-3 Detroit News is adding printing facility I If Eras us could see Delta Township now! meet your professionals in office and shopping center development By DICK FRAZIER Staff Writer Delta Township's first land speculator and businessman, Erastus Ingersoll, never heard of such things as access roads, shopping malls, tax abatement and strip zoning. 'V' 4 Jim Vander Galien Ronald J. Decker Richard L. Zimmerman why he had located "so far in the woods." "You know that in 12 years the capital must be removed from Detroit, and as this is just halfway across the state, being 89 miles either way, of course it will be here or very near." BY THE END of the summer of 1836, Ingersoll and "Mr. Lewis" had built a sawmill and a year or so later a planing mill and a grist mill were finished.

In the 1870s, Delta Mills had become a sizeable manufacturing center, with two saw mills, a couple of blacksmith operations, a furniture factory and at least five shops devoted to the manufacture of wooden oars. By 1880, the village boasted 300 residents, a physician and a dental surgeon. By the end of that decade, Delta Mills had at least three groceries and was a stop on the Pere Marquette Railroad. And the Stribling Brothers, George and Gene, had founded a cigar factory and even had their own orchestra to promote the product. DELTA MILLS has now returned to residential status, and it's probably a good thing Erastus Ingersoll isn't around to wonder what became of all the hustle and bustle along the river or to have to contemplate what's going on "over south." But like today's merchants and manufacturers, he believed in giving the people what they wanted and probably wasn't a bit ashamed that most of his projects were financially successful.

IN FACT, it turned out that he missed really cashing in by only three miles or so; with a little luck, he could easily have been one of Michigan's first millionaires. Born in Lee," in 1782, Ingersoll married Sally Smith in 1806 and brought her and their children to Novi in 1825. He was that area's first white settler. He stayed in Novi long enough to build the first plank road and invent a mowing machine, using it only for his own convenience. BUT HE KEPT hearing talk that the fledgling Michigan Territory would soon be gaining statehood and that the capital would be moved from Detroit to a more central location by 1847.

So he bought a tract of land on either side of the Grand River at what is now Delta Mills in 1834 and prepared to move his family again. Years later, during the Nation's Centennial Year, IngersolPs sister-in-law, in a report to the State Pioneer Society which was condensed in the "Lansing Republican," quoted Erastus' answer to a question as to YAIt9MMEGlIM PMS iff iilisililiiiifeillll Cedar Park Center Erastus Ingersoll Located on the southern edge of Lansing, it is ideally situated on Cedar St. at Willoughby. Just 3 blocks from 1-96. Cedar St.

carries as many as 30,000 cars daily. Population 50,000 in 2 mile area. 1 10,000 sq. ft. Retail Space and 35,000 sq.

ft. Office Space Tenants Kroger's Superstore Muir Drugs Dancers Fashions Hardware Store Laundromat Dry Cleaner Hair Drop Community Newscenter Haddad's Cards Gift Nu-Vision Optical Spartan Travel Hyacinth-Greenery Wicker Pillow Talk Furniture Cedar Park Bootery Office Supply House Inc. Designers Den Chinese Restaurant Over 90,000 sq. ft. Committed and 1293 sq.

ft. to 3600 sq. ft. of spaces still available ft-Wi 11 rli mi 111 1 1 1400 KEYSTONE AVE. Country Meadows Village Center CRAIG BEACHNAW Craig Beachnaw has bean associated with Shinberg Insurance Agency for the past 8 years.

During that period of time he has risen to the position of Agency Manager, which puts him in charge of new agent hiring and training. In addition to his management responsibilities. Mr. Beachnaw is a qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table and has additionally achieved the following production awards: National Sales Achievement, has oeen in the App a Week Club for 7 continuous years, in the 1980-81 year he was chosen to serve with 8 other gentlemen from amongst Safeco Life's 6,000 agents, on their Safeco Life Insurance President's Advisory Council. Craig is a 4 year graduate of the Life Underwriter Training Council, and has completed numerous other industry courses.

He is a member of the board of directors of the Lansing Life Underwriters Association, The General Agents and Managers Association and is a past president of the Lansing chapter of American Business Clubs. Mr. Beachnaw's area of expertice is in Business Insurance and Employee Benefit Counseling. 1 5,000 sq. ft.

warehouse manufacturing with some office space in Midway Industrial Center. Fully air conditioned and mostly carpeted. Loading dock and ample parking. Great for office conversion, warehousing or light manufacturing. Possible land contract.

Call Max Murninghan, 351-22QO Located North of Lansing near DeWitt 55,000 sq. ft. Retail Space and 17,000 sq. ft. Office Space Over 50,000 sq.

ft. Retail Space Leased. Still available 2 spaces of 2200 sq. ft. each.

est. 1929 SHINBERG LIFE INSURANCE INC. SHINBERG INSURANCE INC. S. Capitol Av.

371-2000 or 485-5444 PHONE 694-8147 110 S. Cedar Street, Lansing -r.