Royal Oak School District looks to move forward with development

About two years ago, the City Commission gave their thumbs up to an agreement with the Royal Oak School District to redevelop the piece of land where Longfellow Elementary School used to be. The agreement included retail at the corner of Maxwell and 11 Mile Road, eight condos along Maxwell, and an expansion of the YMCA. The agreement included a provision that bonds would be posted for all parts of the project when construction of any one part of the project began.

Now, and in the middle of a national recession, the plan has hit a speed bump because the sale of the portion of the property to be used for retail fell through. However, the YMCA has already purchased their portion of the land and is raising funds to expand. Also, the developer is ready to break ground on the condos. The School District is now requesting that the provision requiring bonds for the project be broken up so that bonds for all three parts are not required to get things moving.

Sources:

http://www.ci.royal-oak.mi.us/portal/sites/default/files/meetings/City%20Commission/2010/0816-17.pdf