down that corridor. It’s kind of the hot spot for the township now, there is a lot of development in that area,” Rasawehr shares. Central to that improvement is the Blight Enforcement Initiative, a top priority for the residents and businesses of Shelby Township for several years. “Our ordinance enforcement officers respond to calls from residents and businesses, conducting site visits to address a wide range of issues, from grass and weed control to signage and property maintenance, and everything in between,” details Rasawehr. “The bigger objective of this is identifying 5 to 10 parcels each year that are very blighted and working with the property owners in bringing them into compliance and cleaning up these sites. It’s a good deal for everybody. It enhances the township aesthetically and spurs economic development.” SMART BUSINESS GROWTH Shelby Township is home to a burgeoning industrial corridor along Shelby Parkway which has become a magnet for high-tech and advanced manufacturing companies.“We now have at least 10 new businesses on that one-mile strip, probably more than that,” boasts Stathakis, sharing that beyond the beauty of these uniform white brick buildings lies a story of excitement and innovation. JVIS, which occupies multiple facilities in the area, is involved in various advanced manufacturing initiatives. A different company manufactures 21gear transmissions for the M1 tank, while another produces scopes for military rifles. Still another makes interior automotive components such as leather stitching for Jeeps. “What we have now that we didn’t have 10 years ago are not only the buildings, but more than 1000 jobs just on that one strip,” Stathakis asserts. “The high-tech, advanced manufacturing has come to Shelby Township, and it’s really done a lot to make our tax rolls more diversified, which makes our local economy more resilient while bringing in outside investment and wealth. We’re still a bedroom community, we always will be, but it’s nice to have that.” 4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 06
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