Holly Township Moves Forward Exploring Township Hall Options
(Crystal A. Proxmire, March 7, 2025)
Holly, MI – Plans to transform a former tire warehouse into a municipal center are moving forward as the Holly Township Board heard updates from engineering firm Hubble, Roth, and Clark (HRC) on exploring cost possibilities.
Discussion of a new township hall have been happening for several years as officials have hoped to find a more efficient workspace while freeing up their current building – an historic fire hall in the village’s bustling downtown area – to a more prosperous use for the community.
The current building, which has just 3,200 square feet of office space, is cramped and inefficient – especially when meetings are held or when election work is underway. It also lacks safety and accessibility features. Parking is also a challenge.
Selling the current Township Hall would likely attract a new business to the space, adding tax revenue to both the Village and the Township as well as growing on the success of the downtown area as a destination for shopping, dining, weddings, and special events. The sale would also help fund the development of the new hall.
Holly Township purchased the Dawson Tire property at 4092 Grange Hall Road in 2022 at a cost of $1.6 million which includes seven acres and an 8,038 square foot building.
Prior to that property becoming available, the Township had researched moving their offices to the Holly Heritage Farmstead property at 13409 N. Holly Road. The Township has been making improvements to that site, including the stabilization of the historic Hawley Barn, to create a space for recreation and education. While the site could house the Township offices, there are a number of challenges became clear in the exploratory process, including engineering within the flood plain, installation of utilities, and the inability to include a basement, which was anticipated for document storage space. Environmental considerations also played a role, with repurposing a site already developed in the Village having less of an impact than on the farmstead location which is adjacent to Swartz Creek.
The Township briefly had discussions with the Village of Holly when the Village Council was exploring options for moving their offices, which had been in the Karl Richter Center. The Center, owned by Holly Area Schools, has since been demolished to make way for a new middle school, and the Village administration has moved into a building inside Cyclone Park.
With the partnership with the Village not panning out, the focus for the Township continues to be on the Dawson Tire property and how the space can be used to meet not only administration and staff needs, but provide space for community gatherings as well.
According to Holly Township Supervisor George Kullis, there are many benefits to the location. The electricity, water and sewer needs are already in place. It has a central location within the village limits, without taking up real estate in the historic downtown. The seven-acre space gives room to grow as the community grows and/or should other partners need space. There is ample room for holding elections as well. Parking should be plentiful. And the location would provide safety and accessibility features needed for staff and visitors.
At the Feb 13 Township Board meeting, Hubble, Roth, and Clark gave an update on the site plan options and funding process. There are three options for utilizing the property, and it will be up to the Township Board to decide between them.
The first option would be to move into the existing building. The building would temporarily meet the current needs of Township administration and staff, however it would not allow any flexibility, room for growth, or community center space. While the land would still be available for expansion or other facilities, it would require additional costs down the road to adjust parking lots, utilities etc. HRC is recommending against this option because of those future costs, as well as the inconvenience and safety concerns that would be caused by doing construction on the site while the offices are in use. It would also not be much savings since all options have basic costs of moving and site preparedness, and any savings would be deferring costs to a later date.
The second option would be adding on to the existing building. And the third option would be creating a second standalone building connected by an enclosed walkway. Both options address current needs while also including space for a community center and leaving room for future use and expansion.
“The community’s needs can change over time and we want to think about not just what we need right now, but what we will need five, ten years from now,” Kullis told Oakland County Times. “These buildings along with the property should serve us for the next 50 or more years.”
Depending on which option the Board of Trustees selects, there will be a number of fixed, or basic, costs which include paved parking, ADA improvements to the building, lighting, utility extensions for future development, emergency power, right of way improvements, and storm water management.
The current Township Hall has 3,557 square feet and is fraught with storage and workflow challenges. Early in the discussion process the Township contracted with Auger Klein Aller Architects (AKA architects) to study the current layout and provide a needs assessment. AKA determined that at a minimum area the Township administration & staff would need was 7,900 square feet for basic office operations. This would account for the building department, planning and zoning, code enforcement, board meeting room, clerk’s office, supervisor’s office, treasurer’s office, and storage for all department needs, and does not include the 2,000 square feet needed for permanent document retention space and election administration. Developing a community center space has also been on the minds of township officials through the process and also not included in the basic needs assessment.
The option for adding on to the existing building would provide a total of 13,360 square feet and include a community space and board room. Building an addition would be the most expensive option and would require the longest time for construction. The proposed cost is estimated to be $4-5 million, plus the fixed costs of preparing the site.
Building a standalone building would have a lower cost because it would not require repurposing existing warehouse/truck bay areas which make up about 5,000 square feet of the space. The estimated cost for this option is $3-4 million, plus the fixed site costs.
The next step is for the Holly Township Board of Trustees is to review the financing options. The costs of a municipal bond will vary based on how much money the Board votes to put down, and how many months they would like to take to pay the bond back. The use of a municipal bond will not cause any increase to taxes as the payments are already within the Township’s budget.
Kullis said that once they have a more detailed picture of funding options, the Board will decide which of the three options they will approve. The discussion about bonding will likely take place at the Holly Township Board of Trustees March meeting.
“It’s a slow process, but we’re trying to do things right for our residents and staff now and in the future,” Kullis said. “If people want to know more about what is going on in the Township we invite them to attend the public meetings.”
The Board meetings take place on the second floor of the Holly Township Hall on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm.
Learn more about Holly Township at https://hollytownship.org/
