News
Published: Friday, June 21, 2013
By Katie Hetrick
Press Guide Newspapers
DEARBORN — Planners presented a more refined idea for the area around Dearborn’s new passenger rail station, calling for more green spaces, denser mixed-use development and pedestrian areas on both sides of the tracks.
The transit-oriented development plan has been in the works since last fall, but how or if the plans will become reality is unclear.
Wayne Beyea, with Michigan State University’s School of Planning, Design and Construction, said creating “Place Making” plans is always part imagination and dreaming about what an area could be. About 30 people attended Thursday’s presentation of the final TOD plan at the Ford Community Performing Arts Center.
Dearborn’s plan has two main factors. It relies on connectivity between assets and districts and it needs denser mixed-use development.
“Without that density, some of these things won’t be able to happen,” Beyea said.
The plan calls for turning most of Newman Street from the train station west to Oakwood Boulevard into a pedestrian walkway with benches, landscaping and maybe even a splash fountain and open gathering space in the middle. Various mixed retail and residential buildings would line both sides of the walkway. Parking structures would be created just south of the train tracks.
“Successful transit-oriented development projects really bring together several of these components,” Beyea said.
Those components include higher density residential and retail space, all within a five or 10-minute walk of the station. The area also needs connectivity to places of employment and enjoyment such as The Henry Ford, Ford Motor Co., the Rouge River bikeway, University of Michigan-Dearborn and Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center.
“We saw an opportunity for this place to be just stellar in the region,” Beyea said.
The plan also calls for improving the appearance of Michigan Avenue near the station, said Warren Rauhe, director of the Small Town Design Initiative at MSU. Continued…
Signs and landscaping could be added directly in front of the station. A stoplight would protect pedestrians crossing on a brick or brick-like crosswalk, which would also feature landscaping, Rauhe said.
Buildings created in the area could tie into brick and stone signs in a Colonial Williamsburg style, Rauhe said.
He said the three car dealerships could stay in the area, but become more of “boutique” dealerships as is common in larger cities. Smaller showrooms would replace the sprawling lots of cars, Rauhe said. Much of the development plans for the area would occur on the dealership space between Michigan Avenue and the railroad tracks.
The centerpiece of that part of the plans is the Brady Plaza, a public gathering space where Brady and Newman streets meet. Both streets would be pedestrian walkways most of the day. The plans show a clock-tower type structure in the middle of the plaza. The area could also have a fountain that serves as a sprinkler park in the summer and a skating rink in the winter, Rauhe said.
An empty lot on the corner of Brady and Michigan Avenue could be turned into a mixed-use building with retail and student housing designed to mesh with the historical museum next door, Rauhe said.
Eventually, and with state approval, Michigan Avenue might be reduced to only three lanes, one traveling in each direction and a center turn lane. The rest of the road space would then be used to create bike paths and a tree-lined buffer between the road and the sidewalk, Rauhe said.
The pedestrian focus would continue over to Oakwood Boulevard. Sidewalks there would be improved and the underpass fixed up to be more appealing, especially to those on foot. The pond south of the train tracks next to Oakwood would be redesigned either as a public or private space with more trees and landscaping.
“The whole notion is that both south of the tracks and north you get a series of public spaces,” Rauhe said.
Just across the tracks from the train station, a storm water retention area near The Henry Ford could be turned into a welcoming green space for those who want to visit the museum, possibly with replica Model T’s children could play on and signs giving some facts about Henry Ford, Rauhe said.
The Henry Ford has talked with the planners some about the design, Beyea said. Continued…
City officials will receive a final copy of the plan within the next few weeks.
“In many respects, this will be a phased project over many years,” Beyea said.
The city might opt to create a TOD overlay for its zoning in that area, thus encouraging the development it would like to see, he said.
David Norwood, the city’s sustainability coordinator, said the plan will be made available to the public, but it was too early to say what the city will do with it.
“We haven’t digested this report yet,” he said.
Mayor Jack O’Reilly was at a different city meeting regarding Artspace buying City Hall and could not attend the presentation.
Dearborn was selected as one of five Michigan cities to receive assistance from the MIPlace Partnership to create a Place Making plan. The partnership includes the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, and Michigan State University.
Construction is underway on Dearborn’s new train station, which is set to open next year.
TOD planning meetings occurred in December, January, and April, so planners could gather public input about the community, its characteristics and hopes and visions for the area around the new station.
Now that the plan is complete, the community will decide what and how much to implement over the coming years, Beyea said. He admitted that some ideas would seem unrealistic to people while others might embrace the same concept. Continued…
DEARBORN — Planners presented a more refined idea for the area around Dearborn’s new passenger rail station, calling for more green spaces, denser mixed-use development and pedestrian areas on both sides of the tracks.
The transit-oriented development plan has been in the works since last fall, but how or if the plans will become reality is unclear.
Wayne Beyea, with Michigan State University’s School of Planning, Design and Construction, said creating “Place Making” plans is always part imagination and dreaming about what an area could be. About 30 people attended Thursday’s presentation of the final TOD plan at the Ford Community Performing Arts Center.
Dearborn’s plan has two main factors. It relies on connectivity between assets and districts and it needs denser mixed-use development.
“Without that density, some of these things won’t be able to happen,” Beyea said.
The plan calls for turning most of Newman Street from the train station west to Oakwood Boulevard into a pedestrian walkway with benches, landscaping and maybe even a splash fountain and open gathering space in the middle. Various mixed retail and residential buildings would line both sides of the walkway. Parking structures would be created just south of the train tracks.
“Successful transit-oriented development projects really bring together several of these components,” Beyea said.
Those components include higher density residential and retail space, all within a five or 10-minute walk of the station. The area also needs connectivity to places of employment and enjoyment such as The Henry Ford, Ford Motor Co., the Rouge River bikeway, University of Michigan-Dearborn and Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center.
“We saw an opportunity for this place to be just stellar in the region,” Beyea said.
The plan also calls for improving the appearance of Michigan Avenue near the station, said Warren Rauhe, director of the Small Town Design Initiative at MSU.
Signs and landscaping could be added directly in front of the station. A stoplight would protect pedestrians crossing on a brick or brick-like crosswalk, which would also feature landscaping, Rauhe said.
Buildings created in the area could tie into brick and stone signs in a Colonial Williamsburg style, Rauhe said.
He said the three car dealerships could stay in the area, but become more of “boutique” dealerships as is common in larger cities. Smaller showrooms would replace the sprawling lots of cars, Rauhe said. Much of the development plans for the area would occur on the dealership space between Michigan Avenue and the railroad tracks.
The centerpiece of that part of the plans is the Brady Plaza, a public gathering space where Brady and Newman streets meet. Both streets would be pedestrian walkways most of the day. The plans show a clock-tower type structure in the middle of the plaza. The area could also have a fountain that serves as a sprinkler park in the summer and a skating rink in the winter, Rauhe said.
An empty lot on the corner of Brady and Michigan Avenue could be turned into a mixed-use building with retail and student housing designed to mesh with the historical museum next door, Rauhe said.
Eventually, and with state approval, Michigan Avenue might be reduced to only three lanes, one traveling in each direction and a center turn lane. The rest of the road space would then be used to create bike paths and a tree-lined buffer between the road and the sidewalk, Rauhe said.
The pedestrian focus would continue over to Oakwood Boulevard. Sidewalks there would be improved and the underpass fixed up to be more appealing, especially to those on foot. The pond south of the train tracks next to Oakwood would be redesigned either as a public or private space with more trees and landscaping.
“The whole notion is that both south of the tracks and north you get a series of public spaces,” Rauhe said.
Just across the tracks from the train station, a storm water retention area near The Henry Ford could be turned into a welcoming green space for those who want to visit the museum, possibly with replica Model T’s children could play on and signs giving some facts about Henry Ford, Rauhe said.
The Henry Ford has talked with the planners some about the design, Beyea said.
City officials will receive a final copy of the plan within the next few weeks.
“In many respects, this will be a phased project over many years,” Beyea said.
The city might opt to create a TOD overlay for its zoning in that area, thus encouraging the development it would like to see, he said.
David Norwood, the city’s sustainability coordinator, said the plan will be made available to the public, but it was too early to say what the city will do with it.
“We haven’t digested this report yet,” he said.
Mayor Jack O’Reilly was at a different city meeting regarding Artspace buying City Hall and could not attend the presentation.
Dearborn was selected as one of five Michigan cities to receive assistance from the MIPlace Partnership to create a Place Making plan. The partnership includes the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, and Michigan State University.
Construction is underway on Dearborn’s new train station, which is set to open next year.
TOD planning meetings occurred in December, January, and April, so planners could gather public input about the community, its characteristics and hopes and visions for the area around the new station.
Now that the plan is complete, the community will decide what and how much to implement over the coming years, Beyea said. He admitted that some ideas would seem unrealistic to people while others might embrace the same concept.
“The future really lies in your own hands and what you want to do at this point,” he said.
Katie Hetrick covers education and environmental issues. She can be reached at katie_hetrick@hotmail.com.
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