Hazel Park seeks federal grant to improve downtown

HAZEL PARK — The city of Hazel Park has applied for a federal grant that would help fund design and walkability improvements along the John R corridor, something officials hope will maintain the momentum of a growing downtown.

The initiative, called the Hazel Park Streetscaping and Accessibility Project, would revitalize the corridor with new benches, flower baskets, planters and trash receptacles, while also making all of its curb ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The city’s pitch is that the grant would be transformative for its central downtown district where 18,000 people live or work and more than 125 businesses are located.

Officials say that in addition to John R Road serving as a designated “Main Street” for economic revitalization, the area also serves as a crucial connection point between Madison Heights to the north and Detroit to the south.

The project aims to improve the city’s sense of place, and the curb-ramp enhancements will improve pedestrian and non-motorist safety. City officials said there are many people who walk, bike and use public transport to commute to work in Hazel Park. Officials also said that ambulatory disabilities are nearly twice as common in Hazel Park as the national average, which is another reason why safe and accessible routes are important. In addition, the city’s application said the project would positively impact a diverse population that includes African American and Latino minorities.

The city was notified March 21 that the project was selected as part of Congresswoman Haley Stevens’ Community Project Funding for FY 2024, advancing to the next round for consideration, where it will need to be approved by a U.S. House committee and then incorporated into a full year’s congressional funding bill.

Since then, the city has been collecting resolutions and letters of support from organizations and elected officials. In total, the requested grant amount for the project is roughly $490,000.

Mike McFall, state representative for District 8 and previously Hazel Park’s mayor pro tem, is one of the people supporting it.

“The city asked me to provide a letter of support, which I was more than happy to do, since I also spearheaded Hazel Park’s Main Street program — this is the main area that Main Street covers, and this grant is just one more piece in the creation of a downtown,” McFall said.

He said that the many small changes afforded by the grant would have a collective effect.

“It all adds up because everything is in the details,” McFall said. “When you go into a place and look around and it gives you a cozy feeling, it’s everything working together to do that. The long-term goal here is to attract new businesses to the city and to better support our existing ones, while also creating a more walkable downtown. This will also attract more homeowners who will want to move here and live here. It’s a catalyst for all of these things.”    

James Finkley, the planning and economic development director of Hazel Park, said via email that the grant would fund 58 ADA-compliant curb ramps, 45 benches, 80 flower baskets, 136 planters and 72 trash receptacles.

“These improvements would be selected for their durability, cost-effectiveness and cohesive design elements to enhance the aesthetic and walkability of our central commercial district,” he said.

The city continues to invest in the John R corridor in other ways, too, with a road diet underway featuring bike lanes south of Interstate 75 and continued north of I-75; another federally funded project to host food trucks and other pop-up businesses at the southern end of the John R corridor; new municipal signage at the corner of John R and Nine Mile roads; the ongoing drafting of a new zoning ordinance; and proposals for Main Street signage and a facade improvement program.

“Costs are always a challenge, especially with rising construction costs, meaning federal grants can allow us to do things that may otherwise be out of reach or take much longer time to complete,” Finkley said. “In this case, the grant would jumpstart our ability to create a more vibrant, walkable streetscape that is inviting for lifelong residents and first-time visitors alike.”   

Alissa Sullivan, a member of the Hazel Park City Council, said there are “a lot of really great opportunities coming up,” some of which had been planned and budgeted for previously, and others that are on the city’s radar as pending federal and state grants.

“The goal, really, is to just to make our dollars go as far as possible, and to keep seeking funds from any place that we can while they’re available, since at some point those dollars go away,” Sullivan said. “Our city needs this support — we’ve earned it. And we’re not going to stop pushing for the progress that our city wants, and frankly, deserves.”