(WXYZ) — What was once farmland and a former prison site in western Wayne County is now under massive construction.
The area near Five Mile Road in Northville and Plymouth Township has been slated for development for at least a decade.
Planning consultant Gary Roberts said, “It was slow to get started because we didn’t have things like water mains and sanitary sewers and a good concrete road supporting them. We didn’t have the things we needed to set the stage for our vertical construction.”
Extended Interview: Gary Roberts talks about MITC
Planning consultant Gary Roberts talks about the Michigan International Technology Center site
Local leaders say they are beginning to see real progress on the 800-acre site called the Michigan International Technology Center (MITC), a collaboration between local, county and state governments.
Northville Township Supervisor Mark Abbo said, “We’ve been excited about the potential opportunities at MITC for a long time and those opportunities are now coming to fruition. So we’re excited about the growth that’s going to happen there.”
The most visible work is at the Meijer store and gas station on the Plymouth Township side in the VTech Business Park.
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Denny Constantino lives nearby.
“We’ve lived here for 16 years and this is probably the best thing I’ve ever seen. The grocery store complements what we needed here,” Constantino said.
Roberts, the architect in charge of planning and engineering, says the vision has changed since the initial concept.
“It was originally envisioned to house high-tech types of businesses similar to the M14 corridor, and we wanted to facilitate sites that had supporting road and infrastructure things in place,” Roberts said. “The market has changed a bit where we are seeing some more delivery, some larger projects, some retail oriented projects and some housing that has come into our designated district.”
Plymouth Township Supervisor Chuck Carmy says he still expects to see technical interest.
“It’s been good, but admittedly it’s been slow. Maybe COVID has interfered with that. We have some exciting new developments going on, at least anticipated buildings that are going to be starting this calendar year, that all fit into the goal that I want, which is technology and research buildings. On our side, we want more of that because it creates career jobs that we pay that are high paying that are permanent and then people can live in the area and work here. Can.”
MITC is divided into 15 parcels. One side of Five Mile Road is in Northville Township, and the other side is in Plymouth Township.
The area is being filled with projects like Northville Lumber, a multi-tenant technology warehouse, an auto supplier and housing developments that are already selling fast. A DTE substation, a possible data center, and day care are also planned.
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Rita Roerich lives nearby and has mixed feelings about the changes.
“We moved here about 20 years ago. I guess I’m a little disappointed with the Five Mile and Ridge area because when we moved here, they said it wouldn’t be developed and so we were expecting more nature here. Meijer is across the street. I guess I’m okay with that for the convenience factor,” Roerich said.
Roberts said there are only a few properties left on the market.
“The goal now is to get it done. To occupy all these sites and pay the taxes and generate revenue and create employment opportunities,” Roberts said.
Local governments have started taking some of the tax money, but expect to get more once construction is completed. They can collect tax revenue one year after completion.
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