The Fed Ex freight facility was constructed on approximately 52-acres of vacant land formerly used by the old Pontiac State Hospital and Eastern Michigan Asylum. PEA Group led the due diligence, site design, and engineering efforts for this development.
The site provided numerous challenges, being bordered by both state and county-owned property to the north, the Augusta Drain on the east, and by residential housing to the south. County drainage districts had to be reworked and easement boundaries were redrawn. Additionally, both the current and future needs of the site, as well as any adjacent potential developments, needed to be taken into consideration while developing stormwater systems.
The project was of concern to both the city and adjacent neighborhood residents who were apprehensive about the development, such as an increase in both noise pollution and light pollution, an increase in traffic on neighborhood roads, decreased property values, and both the pollution and flooding of the residential pond. PEA Group participated in multiple community outreach meetings, public hearings, and planning sessions and worked extensively with residents to address community concerns.
Close community collaboration resulted in concerted design elements, such as increased berm heights along the property perimeter, additional tree plantings to mitigate noise and light trespass, strict control over light pole heights and illumination levels in the parking areas, and rework of the site pond outlet to eliminate connection to the residential area pond, thereby eliminating any possible contamination or flooding.
The 66,461 square foot warehouse now supports 120 trucks per day and provides employment to more than 600 people.