The proposed Pinnacle Aeropark, which is to span Huron Township and the City of Romulus, has been postponed since 1999 because of limited financing and legal delays. In 2003, Wayne County had tried to take possession of about 500 acres of the property by buying the land from 12 owners, using $21 million in Federal Aviation Administration funds. The county used eminent domain to sue for the land after the owners refused to sell.

The County Circuit Court denied a motion by the owners for summary disposition, allowing the county to proceed with the condemnation and taking of the land. The owners took it higher, and the Appeals Court affirmed the circuit court's decision in late April 2003. However, in July 2004, the Michigan Supreme Court overruled that decision, declaring that the power of eminent domain could not be used to condemn the properties.

The vision is to transform the county-owned land into a high-quality, mixed-business/technology park, with accompanying hotels, retail shopping centers, and other amenities, including a golf course. The county will use a federal community development block grant to help pay for the $400,000 needed in upfront design costs, Birru says. Development of the entire park is expected to cost about $7.5 million.