MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - In 2018, Meridian Township has set a goal for itself to redevelop the it's core commercial areas.

Chris Buck, Economic Development Director of Meridian Township stated that, "The Township Board adopted the master plan for the Township as a whole in November of 2017, and in that they identified three commercial areas that they called PICAs, which are Potential Intensity Change Areas."

These areas include The Four Corners Of Okemos, The Downtown Haslett Shopping Center and The Carriage Hills Shopping Center On Lake Lansing.

Township Trustee Phil Deschaine commented that, "If you spend any time around the Township, you’ll notice that those three areas are really lacking in development, they have been vacant long enough that they are starting to merge towards blight, and we don’t want that."

The Township’s ultimate goal is to help create a sense of a more connected community, with a wider variety of small businesses that suits the township’s “village” characteristics. While this has been a topic of debate for a number of years now, the township is pushing harder than ever to see progress made within 2018.

Deschaine clarifies that, “we’re concerned about this, it’s bad in terms of the appearance, so we want to get it done as soon as we can. Projects often take years in the pipeline to get done, so it’s not going to get done today, or this week, but we want to get them started, we want to get shovels in the ground, we want to get these plans good proposals, environmentally sound proposals before the board, before the Planning Commission, get them reviewed, get them vetted, and then approved, and underway.”

The Township plans to discuss these ideas further on April 17, so stay tuned to HOMTV for further updates.