Troy Town Center Rides On November Vote

TROY, MI — Troy residents will decide this fall if developments greater than two acres involving city-owned land should be approved by voters. A group opposing the Troy Town Center development gained enough valid signatures by the Aug. 1 deadline to put a charter amendment on the November ballot, the Troy Times reported.

The question will read: “The city shall not enter into an agreement for the transfer, sale, lease, or use for more than 90 days of public land the whole of which is greater than two (2) acres, except by the affirmative vote of a majority of the electors voting on the question at a general election.”

The massive Troy Town Center development would feature parks, a community square, up to 850 residential units and 180,000 square feet of retail/commercial space on a 126-acre site near Big Beaver Road and I-75. City Hall, the library and other civic buildings would be incorporated into the site.

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Former Mayor Jeanne Stine spearheaded the petition drive. She initially said the intent was to amend the charter so registered voters could vote yes or no on a proposed Troy Civic Center urban plan.

In discussion at a July 24 meeting, City Council members said the ballot language would affect agreements and contracts with a number of city-owned facilities and other properties, including Beaumont Hospital, Troy; the Camp Ticonderoga restaurant; and St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church, as well as youth sports leagues, such as the Troy Baseball Boosters and the Troy Cowboys.

For more, go to C & G Newspapers.

File photo