It seems like the only news regarding Michigan’s economy these days is filled with doom and gloom, but there are glimmers of hope.
One such glimmer is the Clarkston-based Park Equities, LLC’s plans to construct two light manufacturing facilities, totalling 84,028 square feet, on the vacant half of a 14-acre site located at 3200 Adventure Lane, east of M-24 and north of Oakwood Road.
‘I think it will be a great addition for Oxford,? said Dr. Ron Iacobelli, who owns both the property and Park Equities, LLC.
Iacobelli will be presenting his preliminary site plan for the ‘Oxford Industrial Center? to the township planning commission at its 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14 meeting.
The proposed plan calls for constructing two buildings ? a 48,028-square-foot facility to the north and a 36,000-square-foot building to the south ? with 170 parking spaces and on-site well and septic systems because township water and sewer are not available in that area.
‘We’d like to do the first building this year and the second building next year,? Iacobelli said. ‘That’s our plan.?
Zoned for light industrial use, the site contains two existing buildings, totalling 61,739 square feet, that house multiple tenants and uses including office and light manufacturing.
‘I bought that property about 10 years ago when it was in foreclosure,? said Iacobelli, who’s an orthodontist by trade with 30 years experience. ‘We’ve improved it a lot. It was really rundown.?
Iacobelli said the two proposed buildings are needed to accommodate both existing and potential tenants. Three of his current tenants have each expressed a need for additional space, ‘but we haven’t really negotiated how much.?
‘The economy’s been terrible but for some reason we’re full and we actually have people that want to expand,? Iacobelli said.
Tenants looking to expand are Dry Coolers, Inc. (designers and builders of cooling systems for industrial processing that involves high temperatures), Raven Engineering, Inc. (they design, build and sell equipment that gauges, measures and balances items), and Quality Cable Assembly, LLC (manufacturers of custom wiring harnesses and cables).
Iacobelli’s also been talking to The Complete Companies in Orion Twp. (1776-D W. Clarkston Rd.) about the possibility of that manufacturer relocating to Oxford and taking over the proposed 48,028-square-foot building as the sole occupant. ‘We have been talking . . . about doing a joint venture, but it’s all just talk right now,? he said.
Owned and operated by the Matheis family, The Complete Companies is a close-knit group of companies that produce paint and liquid circulation systems, filtration products, coolant filtration systems, machining services, metal finishing services, and control systems.
Assuming the site plan approval process goes well, Iacobelli hopes to break ground on the proposed 36,000-square-foot building ‘as soon as the weather breaks and we get all our permits in place.?