DETROIT – Some neighbors on Detroit’s East Side are excited about a new community gathering space that will be opening along Gratiot Avenue near Seven Mile Road.
Volunteers are cleaning up three vacant city-owned lots which are being reactivated into what they’re describing as a vibrant public space. It’s part of a project called Better Block Detroit G7.
Sandra Turner-Hardy, a longtime community organizer and neighborhood association leader, said she believes it’ll be a space community members will love and appreciate.
“They are so vibrant and active and just live the area that they’re in and always wanting to do something to make it better over here,” Turner-Hardy explained.
The project is an effort to reactivate neglected spaces. The City of Detroit Planning and Development Department is partnering with Better Block, Invest Detroit, Fifth Third Bank, and other groups to reimagine the area along Gratiot Avenue’s busy retail corridor.
During forums and in surveys, neighbors told organizers they would like to see active retail return to the area, and businesses returning in some of the places residents remembered.
“Even though this is a temporary activation, it does give us an opportunity to bring some of those things the community told us they wanted to live, if only for a short time,” explained Khalil Ligon with the City of Detroit Planning and Development Department.
The reimagined space will include new landscaping, murals, and lighting. There will be seating, a stage, space for retail vendors, including food trucks.
“We just wanted to create a space where it feels very open, you know, you really get to hang out here. You know, make it feel secure out here as well,” explained Azael Alvarez, Project Manager with the Better Block.
The space at Gratiot and Seven Mile will officially open with a community celebration Friday, May 3, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 13555 Gratiot Avenue. The event is free and open to the public.
More information can be found on Detroit’s official website.