I was without electricity this morning so I started to dream idle thoughts. Since you are my unpaid
therapist, I decided to reduce them to writing and send them to you, you of course can choose to do with them as you see fit.
I have a lot of respect for the citizens of Livonia who really care about our great City. Among them are those that want to create a life center or downtown at 7 Mile and Farmington Rd. A successful development at that corner would be terrific, but it would lack one important element----connectivity!
So what can an idle dreamer do about that missing element, well, let us refocus.
It would involve 5 major properties, Greenmead, Rotary Park, Civic Center and Ford Field located South of the Civic Center on Farmington Rd.
One: The City swaps Ford Field for 7 Mile and Farmington Rd. (Similar sized parcels)
Two: Developer builds a Life Center that had been talked about at K Mart on the Ford Field Site.
Three: The medians on Farmington Road are extended south to the Jeffries. (JEFF)
Four: These medians are redesigned to incorporate bike paths, walking paths and art display kiosks.
Five: The medians on 5 mile undergo a similar redesign east to the Jack Kirksey Rec Center.
Six: The Livonia Spree is reconstituted and moved to Greenmead. (That could be amazing, merging two totally different cultural institutions into one mega event) Fireworks are shot off at the golf course across the street. Parking is shuttled from Holmes School.
Seven: New state of the art ball fields are built at the north end of Rotary Park.
Eight: The K Mart site is converted to a passive park, no ball fields, basketball courts and the like. Pop up food service trucks would be allowed to set up and sell iced tea, beignets, ice cream and the like but no permanent buildings. It could be designed for outdoor concerts, art display, boy and girl scout activities, an "old town" city square could be developed for July 4activities including a large gazebo like you would find in small town America.
Nine: The Civic Center would need to be redesigned to facilitate these ideas, i.e. bike paths and perhaps a parking deck come to mind.
Just think, under this connected plan extending from the the Jeffries Freeway to the Jack Kirksey Rec Center, hence Jeff to Jack, you could have, bike paths, walking paths, art kiosks, YMCA, ice arena, library, rec center, senior center, City Hall, Police Station, Court House, Fire Station, restaurants, businesses and who knows what else.
Oh well, Thanks for letting me dream a little, I think the electricity just came back on.
Typewriter: Check back on Monday when we have reaction to the discussion
about Five and Farmington with more ideas on the table. Keep on talking.
Is anybody listening?
The following organizations have received 50 copies each for their use, to provide their members or to sell and use the proceeds to benefit their organization:
Seedlings, Rotary Club, Friends of Greenmead, Livonia Symphony Orchestra, Livonia Civic Chorus, Visual Arts Association Livonia.
