$2M to improve downtown parks
Detroit— Most mornings Tali Kritzer takes her Pomeranian mix Ace on runs around Comerica Park or into Midtown along Woodward Avenue.
It’s either that or do what dozens of other dog owners who live downtown resort to doing: Walk to a boulevard of grass that runs through the center of Washington Boulevard or to Grand Circus Park, formerly home to a tent village of Occupy Detroiters, homeless people and dried-up historic fountains.
“It would be cool if there were better trails to walk on,” said Kritzer, 30, a data analyst
with OnStar, who has lived downtown nearly two years.
To Kritzer’s luck, someone has thought about clearer paths. And sparkling fountains. Even a dog park, to be installed on the east side of Grand Circus Park next month.
So when Kritzer heard the compact patch of public space adjacent to the baseball stadium would soon get a dog park, she was elated.
Despite fear the city’s government won’t be able to recover from a historic bankruptcy filing, residential occupancy is near full capacity, forcing investors of downtown’s revitalization to pay attention to the smallest of details to make the new city dwellers want to stick around.
An active place
In addition to lofty development projects that promise to transform downtown in the coming years — including M-1 light rail, a planned events arena and entertainment district, as well as the purchase by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert of more than two dozen downtown properties — the backers of Gilbert’s “Opportunity Detroit” campaign have earmarked $2 million toward smaller, short-term improvements in five of downtown’s parks, including Grand Circus Park, to give the area a neighborhood feel.
That’s resulted in such events as beach party Fridays — complete with real sand — at Campus Martius; film screenings at Capitol Park; hip-hop and ballet dance performances at Paradise Valley Park; and jazz and theater shows Wednesday nights at Grand Circus Park.
“We want Grand Circus Park to be a really active place, which it has not been,” said Robert Gregory, president of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, which is making the changes at the parks.
Created in the mid-19th century by Augustus Woodward, the five-acre Grand Circus Park was once considered the center of the mostly residential portion of the city. As the city expanded, houses gave way to several historic commercial buildings, including the David Broderick Tower, David Whitney and the Kales, all of which have been or are being transformed into some residences.
Most renovations are taking shape on the eastern portion of the park, closer to Comerica Park, including a temporary stage where jazz and theatrical performances are taking place Wednesday evenings until Aug. 24. The western portion will remain relatively untouched aside from sprucing up of the landscaping.
Probably the most notable change is the restoration of the park’s two historic fountains — the Russell Alger Memorial Fountain, which anchors the park’s east side, and the Edison Fountain on the west. Both are the only functioning historic fountains downtown, Gregory said.
Fun for Fido
Then there’s the dog park, set to open next month. The 6,000-square-foot site will become the first fenced-in open space inside city limits where dogs can roam without a leash. Sometime this fall, the Detroit Dog Park is expected to open in Corktown.
The new Grand Circus Park space is welcome news to Cary Hammond, who like Kritzer is relegated to walking his Saint Bernard, Winston, through the grassy center of Washington Boulevard or at Grand Circus Park.
Hammond, 32, a certified public accountant, said he has watched the city’s urban core fill with shops and night life in the eight years he’s lived downtown.
Now it’s Winston’s turn.
“There are so many dogs down here, he loves that part of the day when he can see them,” Hammond said.
