Project Overview (Continued)
New technology will play a key role in Grand Blanc’s future, and the southern portion of the Township, along I-75, will be the heart of this growth. Planning for the growth of this area will enable the Township to prepare for and direct future development in a way that maximizes benefit for the Grand Blanc community.
The Technology Village Area Plan includes eight sections of the Township: 26 to 29 and 32 to 35, as well as a small portion of Section 20 (see Zoning Map excerpt). Genesys Regional Medical Center is located within Section 28, and has plans for expansion. A large share of the Township’s existing industrial uses are located within the Holly Road corridor, and the Township’s Land Use Plan correspondingly designates the corridor for future industrial uses. The Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce is vigorously marketing properties in the Technology Village Area area to emerging businesses. The area contains half of the Township’s frontage along I-75 — with an abundance of high visibility sites — and the largest area in the Township that is planned and zoned for Research & Development uses.
In 2004, participation in Automation Alley grew to include Genesee County. Automation Alley is “a technology cluster that promotes productivity, innovation and new business growth” in southeast Michigan (www.automationalley.com). The growth of Automation Alley has traditionally been centered along I-75, and continues to move northward. The Township can potentially anticipate a future where, like Troy and Auburn Hills, Grand Blanc is a magnet for high tech business.
Employees of R&D firms typically seek out job opportunities in communities that offer a high quality of life. In choosing where to locate, firms look closely at the make-up of a community, seeking communities with a “place-to-be” atmosphere that will draw professional workers. Grand Blanc is well-positioned to attract R&D users: Grand Blanc schools are among the best in the State of Michigan; the Township’s per capita income and educational levels are already among the highest in Genesee County; Grand Blanc has hosted the annual Buick Open Golf Tournament, the only PGA Tour event in Michigan, since 1958; and the Township has an increasing number of retail and entertainment offerings within high quality new developments. And, as articulated in the Township’s Master Plan Vision Statement, the Township envisions building upon this “unparalleled quality of life” in years to come.
