Tag: Joe Louis Greenway

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Friends of the Joe Louis Greenway Greenways

Friends of the Joe Louis Greenway — April 2019

Dequindre Cut Clean Up

On Saturday April 13th from 12 noon to 4pm the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is hosting a community clean up of the Dequindre Cut. Volunteers are asked to register and meet for check-in at the Dequindre Cut entrances at Woodbridge, Gratiot and Wilkins Street for registration and directions. They will provide gloves and trash bags as well as snacks and water.

The Dequindre Cut is part of the planned Joe Louis Greenway. Supporting the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and this effort supports the Joe Louis Greenway.

Register for the cleanup

Design Team Selected for Framework Plan

During the last week of March, the City of Detroit announced that the SmithGroup and its team had been selected to complete the Joe Louis Greenway framework plan. The SmithGroup’s extensive greenway experience which includes designing the Dequindre Cut and Detroit Riverwalk helped them to edge out the Spackman Mossop Michaels team who was also a finalist in the selection process. City of Detroit’s announcement

The SmithGroup’s fellow organizational members also contributed to their selection. Their team includes: Toole Design, a nationally recognized firm for creating greenway networks centered around people; Sidewalk Detroit, for harnessing the art and culture to engage residents in an authentic way; Studio Incognita, for building soulful graphic design and messaging strategies; and HR&A Advisors, an industry-leading economic development and public policy firm highlighting the value of public open space.

The City of Detroit’s Request for Proposal stipulated that the Joe Louis Greenway framework planning process should be completed in one year. It also requires the process to have a minimum of 3 public input/community engagement meetings in at least 4 different segments of the JLG, hence a minimum of 12 community engagement meetings.

City of Detroit planners have been communicating with municipal leaders in Dearborn, Highland Park and Hamtramck to help ensure that residents and businesses in these cities actively participate in the planned community engagement meetings. The SmithGroup’s team and City of Detroit planners are working together to determine when and where the community engagement meetings will take place. The Friends of the Joe Louis Greenway hope to know more next month.

Save the Date: Detroit Greenway Coalition Fundraiser Ride

Sunday morning June 23rd the Detroit Greenway Coalition will hold its second annual Joe Louis Greenway fundraiser ride. The 24-mile ride will raise money for the Detroit Greenway Coalition and raise awareness of the Joe Louis Greenway. Last year it got excellent TV2, WDET and Detroit News coverage.

The route will be the same as last year, either on existing portions of JLG or paralleling planned portions. Again, the ride will include a break at the Oloman Café in Hamtramck. We will share the registration link when it’s online.

Joe Louis Greenway Tours with Wheelhouse Detroit

The Detroit Greenways Coalition is collaborating with Wheelhouse Detroit to lead two rides approximately 16 miles in length. The rides are part of Wheelhouse Detroit’s tour listing and are planned for 10am to 1pm, August 24 and September 28. They will include several stops along the Joe Louis Greenway where ride leaders, Todd Scott or Paul Vial, will talk about development aspects. It will be possible to register for these rides later this month after details are finalized.

Registration for the Wheelhouse Detroit tours

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Complete Streets Greenways

Our thoughts: Milliken State Park Master Planning

One preliminary concept rendering

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is creating a master plan for the Milliken State Park and Harbor. Besides being a key piece of the RiverWalk, it also includes the lower end of the Dequindre Cut. Both of these trails are part of the Joe Louis Greenway as well.

Below are our comments that have a major focus on improvements to Atwater for bicyclists and scooterists, as well as the Dequindre Cut connection to the RiverWalk.

Continue reading “Our thoughts: Milliken State Park Master Planning”
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Greenways Newsletter

News from the Trail – January 2019

Joe Louis Greenway meetings this Saturday

First, we want to thank all those that contributed to our successful Fall Fundraising campaign. This funding is critical to our organization’s effort to help create greenways like the Joe Louis. (Can we start calling it “The Joe” yet?)

Exciting News! Two community insight meetings are planned for this Saturday, January 19th from 11am to 1pm and again from 2pm to 4pm. This is an great opportunity for residents to get more involved in the greenway planning process for this 31.5 mile biking and walking trail that touches Detroit, Ferndale, Dearborn, Hamtramck, and Highland Park.

According to the City of Detroit web site:

At the meeting, residents will also have a chance to meet the two finalists on the short list of consultants that will be chosen to complete the planning, view the Greenway’s total footprint, discuss phases of construction, and share insights and opinions. The finalists, Spackman Mossop and Michaels, LLC and SmithGroup, Inc., will be in attendance to present their plans for the Greenway and answer questions from residents.”

We’ve also updated our Joe Louis Greenway page with up to date information.

Milliken State Park meeting this Wednesday

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is holding a second public meeting about the Milliken State Park & Harbor Master Plan Update. That meeting is January 16, 2019 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at Orleans Landing (1568 Franklin Street).

Saving Athens Avenue at Conner Playfield

We regularly scan the Detroit City Council agendas. Now and then this tedious work pays off — and it just did. An eastside company had asked the City of Detroit to close Athens Avenue, the street that runs along the west side of the Conner Playfield, north of Harper Avenue. The onstreet parking on Athens is the only vehicle parking for the Playfield, which is home to the Titan football teams as well as a portion of the Conner Creek Greenway and Iron Belle Trail. We alerted Council member Scott Benson, who quickly contacted all parties and brokered an agreement to not close Athens. This is great news for those who use the park.

Survey says…

As part of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project’s Community Benefit Plan, $10 million will be invested on each side of the border. Before they finalize the Community Benefits Plan, they are seeking community feedback on the final selection of initiatives through this survey.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) also has a survey for their State Long Range Transportation Plan. PLEASE TAKE THIS WHEN YOU CAN. We need to continue pushing MDOT to a more realistic, human-focused transportation system.

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Top Bike/Trail Projects for 2019

Detroit bike and trail progress is moving at a pace we never could have imagined when we started over a decade again. Back then we celebrated sharrows. Now Motown has leapfrogged other US cities to become a leader in building non-motorized infrastructure.

This doesn’t appear to be slowing down in 2019 and we’ve picked out a number of projects that illustrate this progress.

Detroit RiverWalk

It’s exciting every time a new piece of the RiverWalk puzzle is completed and a gap is closed. Soon the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy will have more construction ongoing that ever before.

  • Atwater Beach near Jos Campau is under construction now and is expected to be opened in September. This is going to be a very unique and popular gathering place along the Riverfront with its bridge and sandy beach (but no water access.)
  • The groundbreaking for the Uniroyal site should occur this year. This is the major gap between Mt. Elliott Park, Gabriel Richard Park, and the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle.
  • The city of Detroit expects the Jos Campau Greenway will be under construction this year. This will provide access from the RiverWalk to E. Vernor along Jos Campau Avenue and on the existing public pathway. A pathway between Larned and E. Jefferson will be added as well.
  • On the West Riverfront, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park received $50 million in October, $40 million of which is for construction. While work continues on the park, it is not scheduled to be open until Fall 2022.
  • The Riverfront Connector between the Joe Louis Arena and Centennial Park was recommended for a $3 million Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant. Additional funding is required to build this trail segment along the river.
  • Planning continues on the Southwest Greenway between Centennial park and Roosevelt Park. This should get quite interesting with Ford Motor Company renovating the train station and now owning some of the property required for the trail. Their community benefits agreement includes verbal support for the greenway.
  • Last but not least, the city of Detroit said they would be repaving W. Jefferson between Centennial Park and Riverside Park. This would be a major park connector. Currently the road appears war torn. This could be the most underrated project on this list.
Continue reading “Top Bike/Trail Projects for 2019”
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Greenways

Overcoming our losses

Council member Lopez (left) and Reggie Spratling Sr. (center) at Bike to Work Day in 2016

Our original intention was to write about Detroit once again missing out on a federal grant for a greenway, but we got worse news today. We learned our friend Reggie Spratling, Sr. had passed.

It’s heartbreaking and we send our deepest condolences to his sister Cassandra and the entire family.

Reggie was one of those soft spoken guys who’d been around the bicycling scene in Detroit long before it became cool. He also gave back. He came to many bicycle advocacy meetings, participated in Bike to Work Day, club rides with the Metro Detroit Cycling Club, Metro 313 Cyclones, his church, and other events.

We didn’t have to search and upload photos of him for this article. We’d already used them prior.

We’ll never forget his excitement in learning his city council member, Rachel Castaneda-Lopez had also ridden on Bike to Work Day. That seemed to really show him that Detroit was getting into bicycling unlike ever before.

Also, we’re going to miss giving him updates on bike projects across the city, something he loved hearing about.

This is a big loss for Detroit and the city’s bicycle culture.  We were blessed having having you as a friend. RIP, Reggie.

Joe Louis Greenway BUILD Grant

The US Department of Transportation announced the winners for the BUILD grants program. The city of Detroit had submitted a $20.3 million request to build half of the Joe Louis Greenway. Unfortunately it was not selected.

Continue reading “Overcoming our losses”
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Complete Streets Greenways Newsletter

News from the Trail – December 2018

East Jefferson Meeting Postponed

The East Jefferson Improvements public meeting intially planned for this Wednesday, December 12th has been postponed.  The City of Detroit is revising their plan and schedule for community outreach. We’ll let you know the new date as soon as it’s announced.

Joe Louis Greenway Senate Resolution

Photo by Pattrick Yockey, Senate Majority PhotographerWe worked with the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance (MTGA) on a Michigan Senate Resolution in support of Joe Louis, the Joe Louis Greenway and Detroit trails in general. Sponsored by Senator David Knezek, Senate Resolution 115 went before the Senate Committee on Outdoor Recreation and Tourism on November 28th. We thought this was a great opportunity to testify before state legislators and share all that is happening with trails and biking in Detroit.

We brought three Detroit bike club officers to testify with us. With their help, it went very well. The resolution passed unanimously. Additionally, it stirred interest in bringing legislators to Detroit next May for a bike event on Detroit’s trails. We’re working on that event now with MTGA.

We’ve written more about our trip to Lansing on our web site.

Grand River Road Diet Meeting

There is a public meeting at the Crowell Community Center (16630 Lahser Road) this Thusday, December 13th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm to discuss redesigning Grand River between the Southfield Freeway and Berg Road (just west of Lahser.) There will be a brief presentation at 6pm.

From the flyer:

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the City of Detroit will host an open house-style public meeting to provide an overview of the M-5 (Grand River Avenue) project that includes a road diet between M-39 (Southfield Freeway) and Berg Road, east of US-24 (Telegraph Road). This project will convert seven lanes to five lanes with defined on-street parking and possible bike lanes. There will be an opportunity for the community and residents to review project details and locations, provide comments and concerns, and ask questions.

We really want bike lanes incorporated. We’ve included Grand River bike lanes as part of our Detroit Greenways Network Vision. They would also fit with our Envision Detroit Project.

Grand River is a great bicycling connection between Northwest Detroit, Downtown, and everything in between. Also, MDOT has said that they are looking for additional funding to extend this road design between the Southfield and I-94. This would then include an intersection with the Joe Louis Greenway and lay the groundwork for a future U.S. Bicycle Route 30.

We hope to see you on Thursday!

Donations

Thanks to everyone who made a donation to help us launch our Friends of the Joe Louis Greenway. There’s still time to donate through our web site or our Facebook fundraiser page. We hope you agree that we’re helping make some significant progress towards Detroit becoming a great place to walk and bike.

Photo by Pattrick Yockey, Senate Majority Photographer

Photos by Pattrick Yockey, Senate Majority Photographer