More renovations at Riverside Park, which has already seen a major overhaul, and the restoration of a historic lighthouse in Palmer Park got the green light this week from Detroit City Council.
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A $2.5 million contract to work on a new portion of Riverside Park in Southwest near the Ambassador Bridge was also approved by Council last week. This week, City Council amended the master plan for the nearby Hubbard Richard neighborhood to allow for the reuse of the land.
Riverside Park was part of a land swap deal in 2015 that saw the owners of the Ambassador Bridge give the City land for an expanded park. In exchange, the City gave the bridge company land near the bridge. The bridge owners, entities related to the billionaire Mouron family, hope to someday build a second span to the Ambassador Bridge, on the land obtained by the City. Expanding the Ambassador Bridge is a decades-long goal by the Mouroun family. The plan remains controversial, and it is unclear whether the group will secure the plethora of governmental approvals needed in the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s a link showing how much Riverside Park has been transformed in recent years.
Palmer Park lighthouse
A $57,000 donation for the renovation of the Palmer Park lighthouse was approved by Council on Tuesday. The group behind the donation is The People for Palmer Park, the nonprofit that has led the charge to restore the Northwest city park. Read more about the lighthouse plans here.