Plans for New Business Park Take Shape

Developers of the future OakView Business Park, which will be constructed west of Howell Avenue and south of Oakwood Road, have a rough idea of how the park will take shape. 

The map above shows how 19 parcels will be laid out on the 220-acre property owned by Wispark, the development arm of We Energies that is also the lead developer of the Drexel Town Square project.

The biggest parcel is a 19.4-acre site along Howell Avenue, while a 14.8-acre site is at the corner of Oakwood and Howell. Other parcels vary between 2.6 and 13.1 acres. 

Entrances are shown on Howell Avenue where Elm Road ends, and on Oakwood Road near Opus Drive. A bike path is planned next to the road that winds through the business park.

Mardeand Park, in the middle of the site, is an 8-acre undeveloped park donated to the city in 1982. Twenty acres on the far south side of the development, meanwhile, could be used for a future expansion. 

Also shown on the map is a farm adjacent to Howell Avenue that, after the city's ill-fated eminent domain attempt in 2010, is not part of the development.

Infrastructure and grading work is expected to get under way "very soon," said Doug Seymour, director of community development. 

City officials and developers expect a mix of manufacturing, light industrial, office and service uses. 

Wispark is hoping construction on facilities will begin in 2014.