NORTHVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — The community is beginning to enjoy a long-awaited rebirth of hundreds of acres of vacant land in Northville Township at the former home of a state psychiatric hospital.
The facility closed in 2003 and was bought by the township in 2009. It's now the brand-new Essential Services Complex and includes a state-of-the-art police and fire station that opened earlier this year.
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Now they're inviting the public to check out the trails at Legacy Park. While much of the park is closed as construction continues, the extensive biking trail system is coming along.
Melissa Colflesh has been hitting the trails on her bike for 30 years and is testing out the dirt at Northville Township's developing Legacy Park.
"I like being out with nature. That's probably my biggest aspect of it," Colflesh said.
She described the trail experience as exciting and accessible.
"It's a lot of pumping and there's some nice little jump sections and you get a lot of speed. You don't really have to work as hard to have fun," Colflesh said.
The public is finally starting to enjoy the space, which is the fruit of over a decade of labor by the township clearing and redeveloping 350 acres of what was Northville State Psychiatric Hospital along 7 Mile Road.
"It's starting to come together and there's so many neat things to come down the road," said Derek Smith, director of Northville Parks and Recreation.
Smith says they're in the process of completing phase three of their biking trails with three different difficulty levels categorized by green, blue and black colors.
"These machine-built trails are unlike most, probably 80% of the trails you're gonna find in Michigan and there's really nothing like it in southern Michigan," Smith said.
The trails are built and maintained in partnership with the Motor City Mountain Biking Association.
"We been around since 1990 and our mission is to protect, promote and preserve mountain biking access," said Lisa Flores-Johnson, chairperson of the Motor City Mountain Biking Association.
Together, they're celebrating and introducing the community to the progress with Biketoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"It's a free event, open to the public. We're doing it to bring awareness to the trail, bring excitement for the trail," Colflesh said.
The event will feature cider, donuts and group rides.
"We also have planned an all-women's ride," Flores-Johnson said.
Flores-Johnson says more women are participating in the sport.
The entire 16-mile system for not only bikers — but hikers, walkers and explorers — is still undergoing construction. But for now, they toast to the visible signs of progress.
To learn more, visit their website.
"This is gonna be a true legacy for this community, where this property will continue to benefit health and wellness both mentally and physical health attributes for years to come," Smith said.
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