A shuttered Detroit Public Works facility on W. Vernor and Livernois could be transformed into a retail center and community gathering space in the southwest Detroit neighborhood, Christine Ferretti reports in The Detroit News.
The southwest Detroit community was among eight statewide selected last month to participate in the Michigan Municipal League's PlacePlans project. Other PlacePlans recipients are Cadillac, Flint, Kalamazoo, Holland, Jackson, Marquette and Midland.
The joint effort, between the league and Michigan State University's School of Planning, Design and Construction, is led by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and aids communities in designing projects that promote economic development and walkable downtown districts.
For Detroit, the plan details "Vernor Crossing," a project that envisions retail, flexible plaza space for community events and a shared market space for neighborhood makers and entrepreneurs. The $17 million concept would be constructed in phases and situated on the seven-acre site at the corner of Vernor and Livernois.
