NORTHVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Downtown Northville is preparing for a major transformation as the city launches a $3.3 million multi-year project to preserve the area's historic charm while preparing it for future growth.
The comprehensive revitalization effort, dubbed the "Town Square Refresh," will begin construction this spring and aims to improve safety, accessibility and create a year-round gathering space that connects to the Downs development.
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The project comes as downtown Northville continues to attract visitors and new businesses to its walkable, historic district.
"During the summer, there's people everywhere. It's a very walkable city," said Rob Stevens, a Northville resident.
The downtown area has maintained its vintage appeal over the decades, though it has evolved.
"When I first came here, it was very Victorian. That's what everybody was like, Northville's Victorian, and you can only use certain colors to paint the buildings and on your sign and everything. And now, it's kind of come full circle," said Theresa Schierloh, owner of Dancing Eye Gallery, which has operated downtown for over 30 years.
Schierloh said the mix of old and new elements will benefit the area.
"It'll hopefully promote the downtown just by the newness of it all," Schierloh said.
City leaders say the timing is right for major improvements, given increased traffic, new businesses and ongoing development in the area.
"The time is now and the best way to handle it was with a large project that handles it all at once," said Kate Knight, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority.
The Town Square Refresh will include several key components:
- Improvements to the fountain including fire features, bandshell and gathering space
- Resurfacing Main Street from Center to Griswold Street
- Creating an ADA-accessible walkway connection via the Cady Street stairs linking Town Square and the Downs
- Enhancements to the clock tower
- New lighting, audio-visual upgrades and landscape replanting.
"The biggest feature that we're improving is that it will be a table top Plaza. So at Town Square, it will extend at grade through Main Street," Knight said. "It's essentially a big speed bump, so it calms and slows traffic and emphasized that we have a really vibrant pedestrian crossing right in the heart of downtown."
The Main Street resurfacing addresses current infrastructure problems. Knight says the improvements are needed to handle the area's popularity, which brings significant foot traffic throughout the year.
"We host almost half a million people in Town Square every year, so the wear and tear is real. It's a great problem to have, so this is really maintenance and building on some of the great designs we already have," Knight said.
Local business owners are optimistic about the project's potential impact on foot traffic and customer flow.
Kathy Isgrow, owner of Peace, Love and Little Donuts on Cady Street, expects the improvements to benefit her business and others in the area.
"Any of those improvements bring more foot traffic for us, for our business, more people coming by the store. We've got tons of walkers already that walk by the store daily and stop in, but as there's connections between the downtown area and the Downs, that will just improve foot traffic for us. More people will be introduced to us and the other small businesses that are in downtown Northville," Isgrow said.
Business owners are preparing for the changes as project details continue to emerge.
"I think I'm excited for them to add the fire pit with the fountain," said Stephanie Holmes, co-owner of The Hair Foundation. "I think it's going to be a wonderful thing for the downtown development of Northville. We have so many exciting things that are coming and bringing new energy and new light into our city," Holmes said.
Residents like Stevens believe the improvements will enhance the area's accessibility and appeal.
"I think what they do is make it more accessible to people, which is great," Stevens said.
Construction will begin as soon as weather allows in spring.
While construction details are still being finalized, the DDA has committed to working closely with local businesses to maintain access during the project. The DDA will distribute print materials and renderings to keep businesses and community members informed.
An FAQ session is planned for downtown stakeholders later this month.
The Cady Street connection is paid for in part by an SEMCOG federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant. It will integrate into the larger regional pathway network connecting downtown Northville with the Detroit River and other destinations across the state.
The DDA is working on securing funding for longer-range streetscape projects such as Hutton to Griswold streets.
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