Visions for Detroit's West Riverfront Park Revealed

"Four finalists will present their designs for a $50 million transformation of West Riverfront Park in Detroit on Thursday.

"Renderings of the plans, which were released Thursday morning, reveal a variety of visions for an amphitheater bowl and lawn; areas for kayaking and fishing; a seasonal ice rink and splash pad; a beach; dining areas; and plenty of walking and biking paths, some that go over the Detroit River."
Full Article with Pictures at Crain's Detroit Business.

Two examples:
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More renderings from the Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...ion/110214608/

I like the more nature-based concepts. I think they'll age a lot better than the ones with a lot of concrete.

It appears to be a nice mix of public space,but is it not recreating what is within Bellisle is already? Or was.

I also like the ones that have more green space.

Best case scenario is that the Joe and it's parking deck get replaced with something better along with some repair of the street grid. With the land that could be developed nearby it could actually become a functional neighborhood as opposed to the soviet bloc feel it currently has.

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Originally Posted by Shai_Hulud

I also like the ones that have more green space.

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Me too. I am also partial to those designs that have more stone and lower maintenance costs.

Some of the designs with the flashy sculptures just remind me of the old Washington Blvd “monkey bars”. Sure, something like that looks cool in a rendering... but they don’t age well and become a maintenance liability. Good designs take long term maintenance issues into consideration.

From the Free Press front page:

Attachment 35108

I prefer the Hood Design and the James Corner Field concepts.

The Michael Van Valkenburgh design looks like it belongs in Vancouver, BC. The Gustafson Guthrie Nichol design.. I just don't think the renderings look very professional and clean.

Is there a place where we can see the full submissions and not just random renderings?

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Originally Posted by Jason

Is there a place where we can see the full submissions and not just random renderings?

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The lobby of 1001 Woodward will have some renderings and site plans as well as models of each proposal. I sat through the presentations this afternoon and my two favorite submissions ended up being James Corner and Michael Van Valkenburgh. I also learned that the budget that these firms were told to work with was $50 million which the conservancy still needs to raise. I think if they deem a design worthwhile though that they could try to raise more funds. No matter what they end up picking though we are going to be getting a great park.

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Originally Posted by southen

No matter what they end up picking though we are going to be getting a great park.

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This, right here.

I'm very glad that the plans put an emphasis on the fact that this area should be developed in to a great park with minimal "development". These should be predominantly green space. I must admit though, that $50M price tag seems a bit daunting. Trying to raise that kinda coin could drastically reduce the scope of these designs.

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Originally Posted by mikeg19

This, right here.

I'm very glad that the plans put an emphasis on the fact that this area should be developed in to a great park with minimal "development". These should be predominantly green space. I must admit though, that $50M price tag seems a bit daunting. Trying to raise that kinda coin could drastically reduce the scope of these designs.

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Ralph Wilson's Foundation is footing the bill. What a huge win

https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...on/1657876002/

awesome news. who owns the land between jefferson + fort? should be some spectacular lots to sell!

wonder if anyone can explain how the swimming cove will work? I understand there can be barriers/ropes to keep swimmers out of river current, but how does the water get stirred. seems like a stagnant cove that will need to be dredged over the long run. civil + hydrological engineers please educate us.

FYI nifty video link of park design:
https://vimeo.com/250926844

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Originally Posted by hybridy

awesome news. who owns the land between jefferson + fort? should be some spectacular lots to sell!

wonder if anyone can explain how the swimming cove will work? I understand there can be barriers/ropes to keep swimmers out of river current, but how does the water get stirred. seems like a stagnant cove that will need to be dredged over the long run. civil + hydrological engineers please educate us.

FYI nifty video link of park design:
https://vimeo.com/250926844

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From what I recall the little island they are creating is for spawning fish but to also divert water into the cove via a pipe or tube below the surface to keep the water moving but also provide the freshest water without debris for those swimming.

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Originally Posted by southen

From what I recall the little island they are creating is for spawning fish but to also divert water into the cove via a pipe or tube below the surface to keep the water moving but also provide the freshest water without debris for those swimming.

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I also hope they can control it, could help to get ice to actually form in the cove in the winter and also allow it to warm up earlier than the river in the summer. That feature will be interesting to see how it works in practice.

This gift is awesome. One of the encouraging parts of the article for me was learning about the financials of the foundation right now. I got the impression that many more donations will be coming to the Detroit area.

For those that did not read the article, basically the foundation has a 20 year limited lifespan and is making money faster than it can spend it. This bodes well for future philanthropic needs in Detroit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hybridy

awesome news. who owns the land between jefferson + fort? should be some spectacular lots to sell!

wonder if anyone can explain how the swimming cove will work? I understand there can be barriers/ropes to keep swimmers out of river current, but how does the water get stirred. seems like a stagnant cove that will need to be dredged over the long run. civil + hydrological engineers please educate us.

FYI nifty video link of park design:
https://vimeo.com/250926844

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Can't say about Fort, but West Jefferson & 24th had a City of Detroit motor vehicle maintenance garage and the old Animal Control Center. Along the river at 24th was the JW Westcott dock. West of Animal Control was an unused DPW storage buliding [[for road salt?.) West of that was Riverside Park at the foot of W Grand Blvd.