John Gallagher

Detroit Free Press

The western edge of downtown Detroit will take a step toward revitalization this morning when DTE Energy breaks ground on what some have dubbed a second Campus Martius Park.

DTE’s new park will rise on what is now a 1.5-acre vacant lot just to the east of its headquarters tower and campus. When opened in mid-2017, the still-unnamed park will feature a year-round restaurant, a movable music stage, recreational space for sports and relaxation, food trucks and parking for bicycles.

DTE hopes the park will do for downtown’s somewhat neglected western edge what Campus Martius did for downtown’s core — create a lively public gathering space that helps redefine its district as a vibrant place to live, work and play.

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"I’ve stared down on this parcel of land for 15 years thinking that someday this would be really nice," Gerry Anderson, DTE's chairman and CEO, said Monday. "It took awhile for some day to get here."

Initially the park may see use mainly by DTE’s 4,000 downtown employees and contractors who work at its headquarters campus. But Anderson said he hopes the public adopts the park as soon as possible.

"This is meant to be a public asset," he said. "If it was used primarily by us I’d consider that a failure. We want the dominant use to be by the public."

That's likely to happen as new housing continues to fill up downtown’s vacant buildings and as the Ilitch family’s arena district takes shape nearby.

DTE said it will hold a crowdsourcing campaign later this year to solicit suggestions from the community to name the park.

The comparison to Campus Martius goes only so far. The new DTE park will have a bigger public lawn that can be used for soccer, Frisbee, and other recreational activities not possible in the more tightly programmed Campus Martius.

“This park serves as a catalyst for future development, and builds upon our strong roots in the community,” Anderson said. "For more than a century, DTE has been an integral piece of Detroit’s history and we see this as a continuation of our efforts to be a force for growth and prosperity in the city’s revitalization.”

The park's architect is Boston-based Touloukian Touloukian in partnership with LivingLab in Detroit. Anderson said he had been on a business trip to Boston when he was impressed by the vibrancy of a park designed by Touloukian Touloukian and put DTE's planners in touch with them.

Up to now, downtown’s many recent improvements have taken place mostly along Woodward Avenue and adjacent streets or to the north in Midtown — areas where Quicken Loans founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert and the Ilitch family have concentrated their efforts.

Meanwhile, the western portion of downtown Detroit remains as it has for a long time — a sometimes desolate district with streets sparsely traveled and multiple vacant lots and empty buildings.

If nothing else, today’s groundbreaking serves as a reminder that others beyond Gilbert and the Ilitch family are participating in the downtown revival.

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DTE in recent years has tried to improve the west end of downtown with multiple upgrades to its own headquarters campus, including new landscaping, an urban agriculture installation, and a new entrance. The new park promises to be DTE’s most visible step yet toward revitalizing its corner of downtown.

DTE first announced its plans for the park last year but delayed groundbreaking for several months while it tweaked the design.

DTE will work with the civic group Downtown Detroit Partnership to develop park programming to attract visitors of all ages.

Plans for the park’s central lawn include

A multiuse, oval green space for outdoor, programmed activities, including team sports, as well as walking paths and areas to sit and relax.

A “roll-in” stage for performances, concerts and other programming.

Two areas for local food trucks.

Parking for bicycles.

The year-round restaurant that will be built on the site will have movable walls that can open during the warmer seasons. A restaurant operator will be named at a later date. The building will feature a roof deck with a panoramic view of the city, able to hold nearly 50 people, as well as a sustainable green roof space that is designed to conserve and collect runoff water to repurpose it for trees, grass and plants.

Contact John Gallagher: 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep.