Charlevoix Street has a brand-new look, and Grosse Pointe Park marked the occasion Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of its $3.8 million streetscape project. The stretch from Alter Road to Beaconsfield Avenue now features a curbless street design, wider sidewalks, new lighting and landscaping after years of planning and construction.
A Years-Long Project Finally Opens
According to WXYZ, the ribbon cutting marked the official completion of the Charlevoix Streetscape project, which stretches from Alter Road to Beaconsfield Avenue. The city describes it as a joint effort between Grosse Pointe Park and the city's Tax Increment Finance Authority, aimed at the complete reconstruction and reimagining of the corridor, per Grosse Pointe Park's project page. Conceptual engineering and initial community engagement took place in 2023 and 2024, the city's project page notes, well before construction crews ever broke ground.
The city announced that the street was officially open just ahead of Thursday's celebration, posting, “The Street is OPEN and it's time to celebrate!” The family-friendly event ran from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and followed the ribbon cutting, giving residents a first real look at the finished corridor.
What's New Along Charlevoix
The finished project includes a curbless street design, wider sidewalks, new lighting, landscaping, a new water main and storm sewer repairs, per the city's project page. OHM Advisors designed the streetscape and oversaw construction, according to the Grosse Pointe News, with crews removing pavement to install new sewers and catch basins before repaving the roadway. The design is meant to create a more walkable and inviting business district, WXYZ reports.
Funding for the project includes a roughly $1.8 million grant from the State of Michigan. The city's project page states Grosse Pointe Park “was successfully awarded a $1.8 million grant from the State of Michigan to go towards the construction of the project.” The remainder of the $3.8 million project was covered through the joint city and Tax Increment Finance Authority effort.
Business Owners Welcome a Facelift
Park Barber's owner Tony Vassallo said Charlevoix Street looks brand new and needed a facelift, according to WXYZ. Iris Mortgage owner Chris Thomas said he hopes the project brings more people to the Charlevoix, Kercheval and Mack business districts. Other residents quoted by the station, including Lee Marburger and Steve Coi, called the finished work a wonderful improvement and said they were excited to see the project completed. Local businesses experienced short-term disruption during construction, WXYZ reported, a trade-off familiar to other Detroit-area streetscape projects undergoing similar makeovers.
Detroit Leaders Join the Celebration
City of Detroit leaders joined Grosse Pointe Park Mayor Michele Hodges at the ribbon cutting, according to WXYZ's report. Hodges said beautiful public spaces connect people, build the tax base and build community, adding that the project is significant for Detroit as well as Grosse Pointe Park since Charlevoix sits on the border between the two cities. Victoria Wesbrook said Detroit values collaboration with its sister cities and that Mayor Sheffield was excited for Grosse Pointe Park, per the station's report. Both cities hope the improvements attract more visitors and businesses to the corridor.
Community members weighed in on the project's details well before construction wrapped. A September 2023 public engagement session, held as a Charlevoix Street Party, drew calls for wider sidewalks, safer crosswalks, bike racks that don't block sidewalks and easy-to-maintain features, according to a city engagement document. A later summary of feedback showed 69 percent of respondents preferred a specific planter option and 76 percent preferred a particular bike rack design, per a city summary of the engagement results.
Part of a Broader Streetscape Trend
Grosse Pointe Park's project arrives amid a wave of similar streetscape overhauls across the region. Greektown's Monroe Streetscape, a $20 million project, was completed earlier this month after more than a year and a half of construction, according to Hour Detroit. That project converted parts of the once-continuous road into car-free areas with expanded restaurant patios, and added 50 new trees along with 50 smart lampposts equipped with security cameras, public Wi-Fi and a speaker system, the outlet reported. A Greektown Neighborhood Partnership representative told Hour Detroit the finished street feels safer and calmer and now has a curbless design accessible to wheelchair users.
During Monroe Street's construction, the owner of Astoria Pastry Shop estimated business was down 40 to 50 percent, Hour Detroit reported, before later climbing back up 10 to 15 percent once the street reopened. Curbless streets like Charlevoix's aren't new to the region either — Bagley Street in Detroit, State Street in Ann Arbor and Main Street in Brighton have all adopted similar designs, according to C %26 G News.
