Taking It Downtown

Christina Sheppard-Decius, a Ferndale resident, can go downtown several times in one day and never retrace her steps. In fact, she can go to four downtowns within 10 miles of her home and get back in time to catch a Tiger baseball game in downtown Detroit.

In the 1800s, southeast Michigan was a region of small towns surrounding a bustling Detroit. Today, it’s a region of small restored downtowns, competing with and complementing each other, in the absence of a dominant downtown in Detroit.

When towns like Ferndale, Royal Oak, and Plymouth became absorbed by suburban sprawl their downtowns lost relevance. Stores and restaurants either closed or relocated. With the economic prosperity of the 1990s, suburban Detroiters began searching for common ground. Walking, shopping, and entertaining in small, quaint downtowns regained popularity; in fact, it became "cool."

Beyond cool, the bustling old downtowns have become an economic force, says Jerry Dettloff, former Downtown Manager for Royal Oak, which he calls the "flagship" of the region’s downtowns. "The more options you provide, the stronger your region will be," he says. Rather than having one main downtown, the region may be better served by vital "cool pockets…that’s what makes this region so appealing."

"Main Street" programs are helping restore the architectural and communal integrity of several historic towns turned suburbs, as they evolve into new centers of entertainment and niche retail shopping, while 20th century suburbs are creating city centers. Even a pseudo retail downtown – the Village of Rochester Hills – reflects this trend. The focus may not be a single, large urban downtown, but these small downtowns are forming integrated markets that both define their towns and link the region.

Connect the downtowns

Today, as people like Sheppard-Decius hop from downtown to downtown, an unsuspecting regional integration is occurring.

Bob Donohue, executive director of Main Street Oakland County, says there are 32 traditional downtowns in his county alone, 12 of which are official "Main Street" communities.

Directed by four community committees – design, promotion/marketing, economic restructuring, and organization/administration – the goal is to ensure that downtown is less a retail marketing concept and more reflective of its community and local market needs. Participating downtowns may receive up to $32,000 in annual technical consultation services.

Without a comprehensive, community-based approach, downtown redevelopment is difficult to sustain, asserts Donohue. "You’ll be more susceptible to business trends versus planned business development."

Main Street downtowns are not historic theme parks but vital retail districts built within the restored shells of historic buildings, Donohue says. "Retail diversity is key."

Let the market dictate development, argues Dettloff, now principal of Downtown Management Strategies, a Rochester Hills consulting firm. The trick, he says, is to understand the local market – both within the city and its surrounding communities. When Dettloff came to Royal Oak, he was concerned about the abundance of restaurants until a market analysis indicated there was sufficient demand for even more. "Ultimately, they’re (restaurants) bringing in a lot of people; and for the city there was a very strong identity associated with that," according to Dettloff.

Today, Royal Oak is vital restaurant district with a rapidly growing downtown residential population. "Given the amount of foot traffic we had in the evening hours, communities would kill for something like that," says Dettloff.

The function may have changed, but the purpose of downtown as a community center remains vital, explains Brian Vosburg, director of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority. "We may not go downtown to shop at the department store anymore, but it still serves as the psychological and social center for the city."

Ypsilanti was one of the first communities to realize the potential of restoring its downtown in the 1970s. Ypsilanti’s two historic downtowns – Depot Town and Downtown – are the social hubs of the city, featuring local bars, restaurants, coffee houses, musical venues. "That’s where people get together," he says. "You run into neighbors, you talk politics..."

People increasingly seem to want to live in "authentic places with real social connection," he says. For people raised in suburban communities, social connection was difficult, he says.

Large signature events are important for small downtown marketing. Ypsilanti has the "Elvis Fest." Rochester has a Christmas parade. Holly has its Dickens Festival. Few communities are as busy as Plymouth’s downtown, which stages 133 events, including its ice festival.

The old is new again

The 140-year old downtown fell into a terminal state in the 1980s, according to Sherrie Preyor, director of the Plymouth Downtown Development Authority. Then, an "organic" change began to occur as hardware and "five and dime" stores gave way to boutique shops, bakeries, and restaurants.

Thriving downtowns " provide an important missing link in the social gathering aspect," says Preyor. "We are the downtown for the city of Plymouth, Plymouth Township, Canton Township, Westland, and Garden City. None of those towns have a true, downtown gathering place."

Northville, which also serves multiple communities, is a "walkable, talkable" downtown, says Patrick Sullivan, city manager. "Our town has an almost perfect scale … you can actually walk down Main Street and talk to someone on the other side of Main Street," he says, adding that Northville has begun a $4 million streetscape/town center development. Similar in size to Plymouth, its downtown offers Starbucks, a few local coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants and two bicycle shops, among other stores.

Holly, also one of the early proponents of marketing its downtown heritage, is completing a $2 million streetscape improvement. Its historic downtown remains largely intact with a diverse array of businesses and civic facilities --antique stores, restaurants, Village Hall and the post office-- anchored by the historic Holly Hotel restaurant. The community’s Dickens Festival garners 20 percent of the downtown’s revenue annually, according to Aaron Oppenheimer, city manager.

Holly is the only urban area in a four-township area, serving Rose, Holly, Groveland, and Springfield, Oppenheimer says. "We are the commercial center. That gives us a unique position. Also, the nearest city is Fenton in Genesee County. They really don’t have a downtown any more. They demolished their older buildings and have lost that historic center."

Ferndale is the edgy sibling of the South Oakland triplets – others being Royal Oak and Birmingham. A Main Street community, Ferndale is closer to a traditional downtown, having a diverse array of retail offerings from a fruit market and bakery to post office, and, of course, restaurants.

While its old 9 Mile retail district has a narrow, pedestrian-friendly feeling, the open-throttle Woodward Avenue cuts through the town, creating a dual identity. As the southern pole of the Dream Cruise, Ferndale further defines itself during the Cruise with the "Retro Fest," celebrating nostalgia in various flavors, and Sierra Club’s "Green Cruise," offering a cultural statement.

Building a downtown from scratch

Even large suburbs like Warren are realizing the importance of a town center. Although its 1957 master plan called for "a city center…where people come together," it never was built. "What we’re doing right now has always been the plan for this area," explains Gina Cavaliere, director of the Warren Downtown Development Authority.

"The reason our downtown, our city center never really developed the way it was planned was because of the mentality of planning at the time," says Cavaliere. "It was built and developed in a very suburban manner. You had single use buildings that were self-contained. …It was never developed as a walk-able, pedestrian-friendly area. That’s what we’re trying to do now."

Warren’s City Square project originated with a community visioning project in the 1990s, which revealed the desire for "a place where people come to gather as a community; people can shop, people can work, people can live – and really enjoy being together," according to Cavaliere.

The 14.5-acre City Square development ---including new city offices and library, as well as a park with ice rink/concert stage-- is designed as a catalyst for adjacent private residential and commercial development (with parking lots appropriately hidden). Like other downtowns, Warren anticipates serving the retail and entertainment needs of surrounding communities without downtowns.

Warren is inspired by the success of Main Street towns like Ferndale or Royal Oak, recognizing that establishing a sense of place requires long term investment in their central business districts. By remaining relevant to their residents and marketable to their less-defined neighbors, these living, working downtowns will, like cells, add up to a healthy and vibrant regional body.