ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A state-owned campus north of Ann Arbor, Mich., in Green Oak Township could become a Michigan National Guard readiness center after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 478 authorizing a land transfer from corrections to military officials.
The measure, sponsored by state Sen. Sue Shink, transfers 93 acres in Green Oak Township from the Department of Corrections to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for potential use as a readiness center for the Michigan National Guard.
The parcel is currently used as the Michigan Department of Corrections Training and Professional Development Center. The site sits on M-36 near East Michigan Avenue in Green Oak Township, north of Ann Arbor.
From 1960 until 2015, the grounds were home to the W.J. Maxey Boys Training School. The transfer does not automatically mean a National Guard training center will be built, but it allows Military and Veterans Affairs to consider the property for future use.
Enrolled Senate Bill 478 describes about 92.98 acres in Green Oak Township, Livingston County, and says the transfer becomes permanent once the State Administrative Board approves it and the departments are notified in writing. State officials have not announced a timeline for any National Guard development.
Mayor Christopher Taylor leads Ann Arbor under a strong-mayor form of city government as regional defense and land-use decisions continue to shape communities surrounding the university city.
