The DDA's January schedule called for a public soft opening this August or September. So why is the old lumber yard at 215 S. Broadway, next to the Paint Creek Trail, still behind a fence in mid-October? Money is not the problem. Neither is a lack of work on the site or a missing tenant. The Village's September 2026 Planning & Zoning report gives the status in one line: "Received final plan submittal. Under review."
Each piece of the Lumber Yard at Paint Creek now depends on that review: the market, the barn, the trailhead, and a well-known Italian bakery from Warren. Here is how the project got to this point.
The opening date has moved twice
The Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority owns the site. It covers four parcels totaling 4.2 acres, and the DDA bought it for $2.5 million. By April 2025, the Lake Orion Review reported that demolition and concrete removal were done, after about 90 dumpsters of debris had been hauled off. Since then the opening target has moved several times:
- April 2025 target. The DDA told the Review it was aiming for a soft launch in late fall 2025, with public facilities following in spring 2026.
- January 2026 schedule. The DDA's PUD narrative, submitted January 23, 2026, listed four milestones. The public areas would soft-open in August or September 2026. Parking, stormwater, and accessibility work would follow by November 2026, tenant build-out by March 2027, and a full opening in June 2027. In February, WXYZ reported that events might begin as early as August.
- August 2026 update. At the DDA's August 18 meeting, Executive Director Matthew Gibb asked the board to pay for branding, a website, and a vendor portal for the public market. He said that work "needs to begin in the fall in preparation for a spring opening."
The minutes don't give a calendar date for that spring opening. It is a target the DDA is preparing toward, not an announced date. The official board materials we reviewed don't show any soft opening, ribbon cutting, or event at the site this summer or fall.
The budget is set
The DDA bought the site and paid for demolition out of a $5 million bond authorization, which is being repaid from downtown tax-increment financing. As of April 2025, about $2.1 million remained, along with a $595,000 Main Street grant. According to the September 15 draft minutes, the full grant has since been spent and reconciled.
At that September 15 meeting, the board looked at about $1.9 million in available project funds. It adopted a working budget of $1,653,500 to finish the site, broken down as follows:
- $1,200,000 for site development
- $74,000 for the contracted fire-suppression system in the barn
- $330,000 for seven identified completion categories
- $49,500 in contingency
That leaves $246,500 of the $1.9 million as an uncommitted reserve. The budget covers the trailhead, walkways, lighting, parking, landscaping, the market rack, the barn, and the bakery build-out. In August, Gibb told the board the project "remains financially feasible but continues to experience delays due to plan reviews and permitting requirements."
These figures come from the September 15 minutes, which stay in draft until the board approves them at its October 20 meeting.
Work continues on site while the final approval is pending
The Village's September report says a building permit has been issued and that the structures being kept are getting structural shoring. In September the DDA approved $28,930.83 in change orders for Mickey's Construction. That work was mainly site prep for electrical, water, and other utilities, including conduit coordinated with DTE. The board also approved $7,408.41 for Triple R Electric to handle the main bar's exterior layout and the south wall conduit. A DDA progress report covering fall 2025 described the restoration of the 1917 Supply Shed as a trailhead as substantially done. Restrooms, landscaping, utilities, and fencing were still listed as next steps.
The approvals have to happen in order:
- March 23, 2026. Village Council approved PUD eligibility.
- June 1, 2026. The Planning Commission held the public hearing on the preliminary plan and recommended conditional approval.
- June 22, 2026. Council approved the preliminary PUD plans by a 5–2 vote, on the condition that all applicable agency approvals are obtained.
- July 28, 2026. This date appears on the cover of the final site plan set posted on the DDA's site. It sits in the submittal summary next to the final site plan entry, and the "date approved" column is blank.
- September 2026. The Village reports the final plan submittal received and under review.
In August, Gibb said McKenna, the Village's planning consultant, was aiming to finish its review by October. A Fire Marshal comment on the plans had also come in and was being addressed. The Planning Commission's October 5 agenda didn't include the Lumber Yard. Its next regular meeting is November 2.
One more document is tied to this review. On September 15 the DDA board approved a draft 46-page PUD Development Agreement. It sets rules for retail uses, open-air markets, events, signage, and fire safety, and the DDA can only sign it after the Village approves.
The bakery shows how one approval holds up everything else
The DDA has committed to delivering the bakery building to Tringali's Bakery as a finished shell with basic utilities and HVAC. Tringali's is an Italian bakery and pastry shop at 29100 Schoenherr Road in Warren. It is best known for cannoli, and its best sellers also include peach pastries and éclairs. Three brothers from Sicily started the business in 1958, and it passed to the Spagnuolo family in 2019.
On August 18, Gibb reported that the bakery was still interested and was waiting on the DDA's final plans before going further. No lease or pricing had been approved. The bakery needs a rear addition to house its cooler system, and he said that build-out was on hold until final site plan approval. Meanwhile, the DDA is keeping the building in good condition. In September it approved up to $19,245 for Thermal Care to replace the outdated HVAC. The building needs heat and air circulation to protect the recent water improvements from moisture damage.
The rest of the project follows the same pattern as the bakery: the money is in place and the work is underway, but the final plan review controls the date.
What's planned and what is still only an idea
The DDA's project page describes three main pieces. The historic barn becomes an event and market space. The old lumber racks become stalls for vendors selling food, drink, and art. And the site gets a trailhead on the Paint Creek Trail. The page doesn't list an opening date or season.
The planning documents sort the pieces into three groups:
- In the September budget. The trailhead, walkways, lighting, parking, landscaping, market rack, barn, and bakery build-out.
- Proposed but not final. An 11-stall open-air pavilion built from the old lumber rack. Also 129 parking spaces, though the June planning review asked for more traffic and parking documentation.
- Long-term ideas for full buildout. A bike shop, a seasonal brewery or food service, more retail, and an eight-room hotel. The DDA's narrative presents these as future uses, not tenants already in place.
Gibb has said the market website will start out owned by the DDA. The longer-term idea is a separate nonprofit to run the public market, but no structure has been settled.
The trail closure this month is somewhere else
If you ride the Paint Creek Trail through downtown, the trail commission's Trail News page doesn't list any closure or detour at the Lumber Yard. The closure it does post is on the Tienken-to-Dutton segment. It starts Monday, October 12, runs for about a month, and detours riders onto Livernois Road. Closer to downtown, the DDA heard a preliminary report in August about creek-bank erosion near the Meeks Park Trail. It was told the erosion could eventually damage the trail if nothing is done. That report has no cost attached yet and is still being explored.
Until the final plan clears review, the Lumber Yard will stay fenced, with trades working inside under an issued permit. The next scheduled chance for the Planning Commission to take it up is the November 2 meeting.
If you'd like to know how the Lumber Yard's schedule lines up with your own plans near downtown Lake Orion, Sold by Emily follows the Village and DDA meetings and can walk you through where things stand. Schedule your free consultation.
