What about Baldwin?
by Colin Baumgartner
Lake Orion Review
October 25, 2006
An Access Management Study and a Master Plan Update are among recent projects that have examined Orion Township’s main drag, M-24.
But Baldwin Road, once thought of as a possible solution to increasing traffic on M-24, has somehow missed out.
Craig Bryson, Public Information Officer for the Road Commission for OaklandCounty, claims a lack of action on Baldwin is not due to a lack of effort, or desire, to improve the North-South road.
Bryson said plans are in place to widen Baldwin, but it doesn’t come on the cheap side.
“There is no schedule for it yet,” he said, noting that the long-term project will cost roughly $25 million. “We’re still seeking funding.”
“We have a couple million dollars saved for it right now,” Bryson added.
Economy effects development
Recent economic struggles might have actually helped congestion on the road, primarily because it stunted development projects that were geared toward the growing Baldwin corridor.
“We had a lot of projects in the works a couple of years ago, but they’ve slowly dropped off,” said Orion Township Zoning/Planning Administrator Beth McGuire.
But McGuire said a lot of what was planned would have been “destination” development, like offices and residences, that wouldn’t have helped much to alleviate traffic on M-24.
Business and land owners along the Baldwin corridor argue that the reason projects have dropped off is due to the township’s lack of initiative on the issue.
Some would like to see improvements similar to what other area municipalities have developed.
“If you go over to IndependenceTownship, they’re moving forward with the Corridor Improvement Authority,” said longtime Baldwin land owner Marty Scypinski. “Look at what happened on Sashabaw.”
Among other things, the Corridor Improvement Authority act, according to the IndependenceTownship website, aims to “correct and prevent deterioration in business districts, encourage historic preservation, promote economic growth of the districts and authorize the use of tax increment financing.”
Scypinski said if OrionTownship could do something similar with Baldwin, many of the current issues the road and its business owners face could be alleviated.
“Orion makes it tough to do business there, with all of their costs associated with doing business,” Scypinski said.
“The problem is that in Orion, no one wants to step up and follow this thing through,” he added.
The CIA was approved by the Independence Township Board in September and has a long list of proposed projects to address, including some road-widening plans for Sashabaw.
All agree, stopped traffic must go
From a business perspective, Scypinski said stopped traffic is a hugely negative sign to those passing through the township.
“The truth of the matter is that when you drive through there, you’re stuck,” he said.
Bryson agreed that the widening of Baldwin is “badly needed” as a parallel for M-24, and added that the development already in place on Baldwin compounds that need.
“With all of the development that has already taken place, it’s still something that’s needed,” he said.
With no plans in place to widen M-24, the Baldwin widening project takes on even more importance as a throughway for north-south traffic in the township.
Bryson said the reconfiguration of the Baldwin/Brown intersection could help traffic flow on Baldwin a little, but is not a long-term solution.