• The proposed Douglas J building

UPDATE: OKEMOS - At last week's Planning Commission meeting, some concerns about the height of the proposed Douglas J building were raised.

Scott Weaver, president of Douglas J, responded to the questions with confidence, "Downtown has been trying to get a true MUPUD going, and we just simply followed that, and the 45 feet is the three stories which really makes it a true mixed use, so that's what we designed our building for, to actually fit in with that."

Some residents questioned if there would be enough space to handle the traffic flow of the new business. While there was public support at the meeting for the new construction, not every resident was happy about the changes.

Kaitlin McGlashen, a Haslett resident, is one of them. "I feel like the tuba museum is kind of a staple in the Okemos-Haslett community and I feel that anyone can go to a Douglas J anywhere, I feel like the tuba museum was a great place for me to go, I always enjoyed going there so I'm really upset that it's leaving"

The new salon will offer more amenities than other Douglas J salons, such as a sun deck and locker rooms.

Weaver spoke of the next steps for the plans, "We're having weekly meetings at this time with our engineers as well as our architects and the Douglas J team that's a part of the business development, so we are just going to keep plugging forward and seeing what we can do to meet all the requirements and the concerns of the community.

To follow the Douglas J proposal, watch the live coverage on Meridian Live. The Douglas J planning team will be presenting at a township meeting next month.


ORIGINAL STORY: OKEMOS - The Douglas J planning team presented at the Planing Commission meeting this week with their latest updates.