MUNDY TWP., MI – There’s a stretch of land south of Hill Road, east of U.S. 23 in Mundy Township that to the naked eye doesn’t look like much.
With tall trees mixed with patches of overgrown grass and weeds in the summertime, with a dash of industrial buildings sprinkled about therein, commuters driving east or west on Hill Road could pass by the area without noticing it was even there.
But sometime next year – if all goes as planned – the 120-acre stretch of land currently owned by LaFontaine Automotive Group will bring a breath of fresh commercial air to the township.
Plans are being made for a pair of new auto dealerships as well as the prospect of a Costco Wholesale store that officials said residents have been anticipating for years.
“I think the single cliche phrase you can use is ‘excitement,’ but from the township perspective and the county as a whole, the bigger picture here is it represents really a lot of hard work and planning that’s gone into years of staff and board dedication from the township to see Hill Road flourish,” said Mundy Township Manager Chad Young. “We are the definition of a mixed-use community. We’re approximately 35 square miles, and our historic legacy is agricultural and residential. Hill Road is our commercial heart. It’s our commercial corridor. It’s where we want to really see the bulk of our commercial investment to provide the amenities for our residents, but also keep them concentrated and protect those other uses.
“So, being able to have what is the definition of a business community partner like Costco that’s a nationally recognized brand for all the right reasons come to and anchor that Hill Road corridor from a commercial perspective really ensures that we’re benefiting from the best of all worlds.”
Young said the township on Thursday, March 30, received an application for a planned development project between Costco and LaFontaine to facilitate the construction of a future wholesale store location.
A message by MLive-The Flint Journal to Costco was not immediately returned.
Approximately 30-35 acres of the space owned by LaFontaie would facilitate the Costco location, Young said, with the remainder of what won’t be used for new Ford and Lincoln dealerships being available property for additional commercial or industrial developments.
“LaFontaine Auto Group actually owns somewhere in the neighborhood of around 120 acres in that area that they want to build out to be more or less a commercial and business park center, right there off Hill Road,” Young said.
The Ford and Lincoln dealerships would serve as the face of the property, positioned nearest to Hill Road on the north side of the 120-acre stretch.
Behind those would sit Costco, on U.S. 23 frontage.
From here, the application between the two businesses will go before the Mundy Township Board of Trustees where the group will have the opportunity to weigh in and potentially provide conceptual approval for the development.
The project would likely also land before the township’s planning commission for a series of public hearings, where local residents and the public will have the opportunity to provide their own commentary or feedback on the proposals.
The project will go back before the board of trustees for final approval should it gets to that point.
Young said a rough timeline for the project would include the approval and regulatory process continuing through fall 2023; Costco has communicated its plans to hopefully break ground in the spring of 2024 and to be open by the end of that year.
He also acknowledged the significance of having a local business partner in LaFontaine assisting the township in its efforts to grow the Hill Road corridor.
“This wouldn’t be possible without the investment from the LaFontaine Auto Group in that property in Mundy Township,” Young said. “Since we heard that they had acquired the property, and we have engaged with them on their own site plan approvals for their dealerships, they have just been the epitome of best-case scenario for our business partner for the community.
“They’ve been willing to come to the table and not strictly tell us what they want to see there but reverse that question around and ask what the township, what the community would like to see in terms of, you know, business, commercial, industrial recruitment for that area, which is really refreshing,” Young added. “We think the future of Mundy Township is bright and it always has been bright, but to have a business partner come to the table and ask how they can help us achieve our vision, not just theirs is what you hope for.”
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