Poll: Is It Time for the Jim Fresard Clock Tower to Come Down?

The Suburban Collection based in Troy is interested in striking a deal to purchase the Jim Fresard Clock Tower at 25658 Woodward Ave., but it wants the approval of the first.

Suburban Collection is interested in operating the 44-foot tall clock tower under the terms of the license agreement the city had with the former Fresard dealership. 

However, the clock is ticking for the tower erected in 1999.

"Fresard failed to renew a permit with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)," City Manager Don Johnson wrote in a memo to commissioners in advance of Monday night's City Commission meeting. "As a result, MDOT considers the tower an 'abandoned sign' and has ordered it torn down."

The Suburban Collection is willing to invest in appealing the MDOT ruling but only if the "City of Royal Oak is supportive of their involvement and willing to extend the license agreement," according to Johnson.

If commissioners aren't interested in a business not based in Royal Oak owning the tower, it will come down. The site could be used to build a small 1,000 square-foot building with four parking spaces or acquired by an adjoining site, according to Tim Thwing, Royal Oak's planning director.