DETROIT (WXYZ) — Bedrock Detroit and General Motors want Detroiters to weigh in on plans to redesign the Renaissance Center and 30 acres of land east of the building.
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The Riverfront Community Hub at 521 Atwater Street opened today, giving residents a place to learn about the history of the Renaissance Center and share their vision for its future. The storefront is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Developers seeking community input on RenCen redesign
Roughly 50-100 visitors stopped in on opening day, casting votes with marbles to choose attractions they want included in the project.
Detroit resident Allayah Craighead was among them.
"Hit me on the parking, surprised there's not more parking votes," Craighead said.
Her top picks for the space reflect a desire to bring new activities and entertainment options closer to home.
"My favorite for sure is the aquarium. Aquarium, movie theater," Craighead said. "We travel to do these things, so to be able to do it at home would be cool."
Jake Chedister, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Bedrock Detroit, described the hub as the public-facing home base for the project.
"This is really our storefront; this is the welcome center to the project," Chedister said.
The development team is now in a public input phase, which includes multiple community meetings traveling to each city council district, in addition to the hub being open 4 days a week through February.
"We're asking the question, what do you want to see on our riverfront?" Chedister said.
Chedister said the conversations happening inside the hub are exactly what the project needs.
"We find people are really interested about having a genuine long-form conversation with the project team to learn about what we're doing and learn how they can participate in the process," Chedister said.
The redesign calls for 2 of the Renaissance Center's towers to be torn down. For some residents, that initially gave pause.
PREVIOUS REPORT: RenCen redevelopment plan unveiled
Detroit resident Sheldon Robinson said the vision won him over.
"Oh, I think it's a brilliant idea, very beautiful, make the city of Detroit look even more beautiful," Robinson said. "I was a little nervous at first because you're tearing down a landmark, but once I see the idea, it looks like it's going to be pretty much good."
Chedister said broad community participation is essential to the project's success.
"This project only works if we get the buy-in, the understanding, the support, and the participation from as wide a pool as possible; this has to be for Detroiters, by Detroiters," Chedister said.
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