LYON TWP. — Blake’s has not yet opened for the season, but on April Fools’ Day change was in the air— and on the ground — all around the apple orchard.
No joke.
On land to the west of the orchard at 61475 Silver Lake Road, construction workers were at work with a backhoe, digging up earth where 121 homes are planned as Orchard Crossing Estates. Across the street, on the west side of Kent Lake Road, land has already been cleared and paved roads are down where 40 condos will go as Orchard Crossing Villas, both developments by Lombardo Homes.
And to the east of Blake’s Farm, a sign declaring that a zoning change has been proposed may herald another alteration in the landscape by developer Triumph Building.
Triumph Building is requesting a conditional rezoning with a conceptual plan that includes “a 7,500 square-foot mini-market building, a 2,400 square-foot restaurant drive-thru, and a 22,000 square-foot retail/commercial building, along with associated parking and storm water infrastructure.”
A public hearing for the conditional rezoning of a 7.84 acre parcel at the corner of Silver Lake Road and Pontiac Trail from residential-agricultural to community business district is set for 6 p.m. April 14 during the planning commission meeting at the township hall, 58000 Grand River.
“Conditional rezoning is a smart way to approach a project if you have a specific vision, rather than opening it up to all uses,” Planning Coordinator Katherine Des Rochers said. “You have a better chance (of approval) because the township is able to control a little more of what goes on the property.”
Des Rochers said the developer promised there would be no banks, gas stations, auto repair shops, vehicle dealerships, car washes or funeral homes allowed on the parcel, which is directly south of a Learning Tree daycare and east of a CVS pharmacy.
“This is not an empty promise,” she added. “You are held to it by the conditional rezoning agreement.”
Whether Triumph Building will be granted the conditional rezoning will ultimately be up to the township board, but the planning commission will make a recommendation for approval or denial at the April 14 meeting after hearing from the public.
Triumph received approval from the board last year for a 40-home development known as Silver Lake Meadows that will go on 51 acres adjoining the parcel for which they are requesting conditional rezoning.
Both pieces of land were once part of a controversial plan to turn the 181-acre Erwin Orchards, a staple in the community for more than a century, into a 500-home development. That “crappy plan” was shot down in 2019.
Two and a half years later, the township board gave their blessing to a plan by Lombardo Homes to keep the existing cider mill and a portion of the apple orchard on 104 acres, while developing the remaining 77 acres as “Orchard Crossing.”
The housing for both Orchard Crossing and Orchard Villas is now coming to fruition.
To help accommodate these developments, the Road Commission for Oakland County will install a traffic light at Kent Lake and Silver Lake roads this summer.
There is more to come as well.
Peter and Paul Blake, brothers who sealed the deal on taking over orchard operations in June 2022, previously said they were planning several new facilities on the northeast corner of Silver Lake and Kent Lake roads, including a 20,000-square-foot tasting room, a 20,000 square-foot event venue with 400-person capacity and outdoor patio, and a 3,500 square-foot restaurant with 1,000 square-foot farmer’s market in one building with the potential for a drive-thru lane.
Blake Farms Lyon Township Manager Craig Johnston said this week that while Funland and tree additions are coming, there are no plans by the orchard to construct any new buildings this year.
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Contact Susan Bromley at sbromley@hometownlife.com.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Landscape around Blake’s Farm in Lyon Township is changing. Here’s what may be next
Reporting by Susan Bromley, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
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