FeedsTownship banks on Lotz Road development
Whoever said dirt doesn’t hurt has yet to travel any of the gravel roads in Canton Township.
There are several miles of car-jarring Wayne County roads in the township that remain unpaved, according to Tim Faas, director of municipal services.
“Generally, those roads get paved as developments get put in,” he said. “That’s a requirement that the county imposes.”
Township officials say they don’t have the money to improve strips such as Lotz Road between Cherry Hill and Ford Road. Lotz is a secondary county road there, which means a county move to pave it is unlikely.
“The county’s not proposing any improvements on this road anywhere in the next 30 years based on the current 30-year plan,” said Faas.
“I don’t believe the county is going to be very helpful on (Lotz) at all,” said Supervisor Tom Yack. “They believe it’s the local responsibility.”
Canton officials can make it easier for private developers to pave it, though. That was the intent recently when the board of trustees authorized the purchase of a 14,400 square foot parcel on Lotz they say is crucial to development in the area.
The property, which Canton bought for $150,000, is located near a virtual 90-degree bend to the north, near Lotzford Road.
According to Yack, county road officials “have indicated they will not permit anybody to improve the road unless this rather sharp turn gets softened.”
With the land in township hands, a future developer won’t have to negotiate for a high sum later. They hope developers who improve the road will also want to purchase the road right of way and incorporate it into their land, in effect reimbursing most of the cost.
“This is like, ‘put it in your back pocket and wait,’” said Yack.
The township might buy some additional parcels as they become available for the same purpose, said Faas.
Theoretically, private development could extend southward from Ford Road and northward from Cherry Hill, but leaving a small section in the middle for Canton to pay for, according to Faas. As a secondary road, though, Lotz would qualify for an “80-20” match, with the township funding only 20 percent of the project.
“Maybe we could digest that,” said Yack.
A paved Lotz Road would certainly improve the chance for development on the stretch south of Ford, where Canton has planned for a mix of uses, including commercial and some offices.
Faas said the long-range plan is for Lotz to be a five-lane road there.
Meanwhile, it remains a bumpy, if scenic, shortcut to Home Depot and Don Pablo’s on Ford. This year it’s more bumpy than normal: the county is behind on regular maintenance and the street has only been treated to suppress dust and smoothed to grade once this summer.
Canton has about a dozen miles of roads that are gravel, including some that are natural beauty roads. Parts of Joy, Ridge and Gyde all have that special designation, which allows for paving with conditions that limit intrusion into the surrounding trees.
The number is still a source of surprise for Treasurer Elaine Kirchgatter.
“It’s hard to believe a community the size of ours (in population)…has as many dirt roads or gravel roads as we do.”
