Metro Detroit

DEVELOPMENT RANT: NORTHVILLE EDITION

May 17, 2019

UPDATE, OCTOBER 2023 (original post below): Progress! The City Council has approved 5 agenda items related to The Downs development in Downtown Northville, and they will be heading back to the planning commission for final approval. If said approval is received, construction (or destruction) could begin in early 2024. To read more, click here.

THE DOWNS DEVELOPMENT, NORTHVILLE

Bah, development bad! That is our (brief) summary of a recent Northville planning commission meeting, where a 9-0 vote pushed The Downs development forward, despite disapproving residents who, as expected, made it clear that they are NOT HAPPY AND WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK WITH A MANAGER OR WHOMEVER IS IN CHARGE HERE.

Listen disapproving residents, no one is seeking to expose your precious little hamlet on the fringe of Metro Detroit, because it’s already been exposed; Northville is now in the heart of the western ‘burbs, surrounded by an exploding population and hundreds of new/newish neighborhoods. The secret is out; people are aware that Northville is officially a thing.

Also let’s not pretend this is virgin soil unseen by the human eye that is set to be transformed into McMansions and corporate logos (though there will probably be some McMansions and corporate logos). The developer, Hunter Pasteur Homes, will be removing a horse track. Animal rights activism aside, it’s an eyesore – a rundown facility, in the middle of a broken-concrete & mud parking lot, that is totally detached from the gorgeous downtown it sits next too. Not only are they going to remove it and replace it with something that will create a dramatically improved aesthetic, they are going to uncover a branch of the Middle Rouge River that has been BURIED UNDER THE HORSE TRACK FOR OVER A HALF CENTURY and restore it.

Ultimately, this development is necessary for finally fulfilling the promise of Downtown Northville, by providing the added amenities it now needs to accommodate the growth that has already happened and this has been our TED Talk thank you for attending… (you can read more about the meeting via Hometown Life here).

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