Proposed rendering of the improved Campau Greenway that runs from Jeff
A new plan for Detroit's east riverfront is refreshing.The prime stretch no longer is seem as the near-exclusive domain of high-end condominium and apartment dwellers, reports the Detroit Free Press.
Rendering of proposed Campau Greenway upgrades from Jefferson Avenue to Vernor. This shows Lafayette Park, north of East Lafayette Boulevard.
(Illustration by Skidmore Owings and Merrill)
John Gallagher reports on the proposal:
In a bold, new, and more democratic vision unveiled Wednesday evening, city planners showed off a blueprint to create three zones of public parkland on the riverfront where once private development had been scheduled to rise.
And that's just a start. The city also plans to create two new Dequindre Cut-style greenways down to the riverfront from the neighborhoods north of Jefferson Avenue to ease public access to the waterfront. Jefferson Avenue itself will undergo a redesign to make it more bicycle and pedestrian friendly. And there's even a new sand-filled Atwater Beach planned near the Milliken State Park and Harbor.
The vision reverses a long-held presumption that the riverfront running east from the Renaissance Center would fill up with pricey residences and shops to boost the city's population and tax base. Instead, this new vision boldly accepts that the value of public access to the riverfront outweighs the value of a few more condos and shops.
Proposed project area overview. (Graphic by Skidmore Owings and Merrill)
