Councilwoman Calloway announces resident-led planning study for the Grixdale Farms community in District 2

City Councilwoman Angela Whitfield-Calloway announced to residents Thursday night that, at her request, the Detroit Planning & Development Department (PDD) will be embarking on a neighborhood planning study for the Grixdale Farms community in District 2. The planning study will help ensure that existing residents will guide the future of their neighborhood.

The Grixdale planning study area is bounded by Woodward Avenue to the west, John R Street to the east, Seven Mile to the north and Six Mile (McNichols) to the south. Over the course of about a year, residents in this area will meet in the community with PDD staff to identify strategies for neighborhood stabilization and future growth, and outline what they want to see changed, what they want to see remain the same, what their priorities are for addressing current issues, and other concerns that can be addressed by the City. Resident input will include topics such as what to do with vacant land and buildings, affordable housing, parks and greenspace, arts and culture opportunities, and economic development along commercial corridors.

“Before I took office, one of the many reasons I ran, was to correct what I saw as a tale of two districts. As the councilperson, it is my obligation to ensure that every neighborhood is afforded equal resources and opportunity. Unfortunately, the Grixdale community has been starved of both for too long. My hope is that this planning study will focus on the immediate and long-term needs of this community and center all plans around resident input. I encourage the community to have their voices heard and be a part of this process every step of the way.”

Working with Councilmember Calloway, the City is also coordinating across departments to bring further improvements to the area. In addition to launching the planning study, the City’s General Services Department has begun intensifying its efforts to deal with illegal dumping and unkept vacant land, and the City’s Buildings, Safety & Environmental Engineering Department (BSEED) is stepping up its blight enforcement efforts in the neighborhood. Correction Orders will be issued to owners of businesses, vacant buildings and lots, and privately owned homes if found to have blight violations. ​Those who refuse to bring their property into compliance will be ticketed. Meanwhile, the City’s Demolition Department has deployed a survey team to the area, and has boarded-up more than 100 properties. The department also has demolished 46 properties in Grixdale with 12 more contracted for demolition and two more out for bid. In regards to the homes that are vacant but can be rehabbed, the Demolition Department has handled four cleanouts and secured the homes.

The Grixdale Farms neighborhood has seen a tremendous amount of growth and change around it in recent years. The former State Fairgrounds is now home to a shopping plaza that includes a Meijer and a new transit center that is under way. Palmer Park, located across Woodward Avenue from Grixdale, is seeing apartment buildings rehabbed and major park improvements through the City’s General Services Department. Yet, the northern part of Grixdale also has a lot of vacant land, posing both opportunity and uncertainty until a plan led by residents is developed. The planning study is a key step in helping to determine that future.

“When I first campaigned for mayor, I said that every neighborhood has a future,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “Some of our neighborhoods had not seen planning or investment efforts in years. We’ve been changing that, going from neighborhood to neighborhood all over the city. Thanks to Councilmember Calloway, the Grixdale community is next up, and we’re going to make sure that those who live there have the final say in what Grixdale’s future will look like.”

PDD is currently conducting planning studies in several other Detroit neighborhoods, including Midwest-Tireman, Greater Warren/Connor Creek, Brightmoor and North End. These follow a series of other efforts in Strategic Neighborhood Fund areas, such as Jefferson Chalmers, Warrendale/Cody Rouge, Livernois/McNichols, Campau/Banglatown, Russell Woods/Nardin Park, Southwest/Vernor, and Northwest/Grand River, among others.

“The Detroit Planning & Development Department is committed to neighborhoods all over the city that are secure in their future, grounded in their roots, and hopeful in their present state,” said Antoine Bryant, planning director for the City of Detroit. “Our work is guided by our residents, and is resulting in a more beautiful Detroit that is built on inclusionary growth and economic opportunity.”

PDD will engage with residents over the next year to come up with the most comprehensive set of data and desires and then publish a framework plan. Those recommendations will then be compiled into a framework plan, and funding, if needed can then be sought from City Council for implementation.