For Detroiters of a certain age, say those who were around back in the 1980s, a night on the town generally meant a visit to Greektown.

That was when Greektown’s restaurants and its lively scene along Monroe Street were almost Detroit’s only option for tourism and entertainment. That was before the revival of downtown, before Midtown became Midtown, before Comerica Park, Ford Field, and Little Caesars Arena had opened, and before the wasteland known as the east riverfront emerged as the RiverWalk.

But rather than sharing in the revival of the urban core, the Greektown district on the east side of downtown has increasingly felt left behind. Half the district now consists of surface parking lots. There are both real and perceived safety concerns. The area lacks residential development despite a boom in new housing in the surrounding districts.

So now after years of decline Greektown is reasserting itself. On Wednesday, a newly minted Greektown Neighborhood Partnership will unveil a 256-page Framework Vision for redevelopment. The plan offers a road map to revival for a neighborhood that, despite its problems, still ranks as one of the city’s oldest and proudest.

The partnership will hold a media event Wednesday morning in Greektown to reveal more details about the proposals and how they may be implemented.

Below: Slide the control left or right to see the current state of the Randolph and Monroe corner and a rendering from the Framework report of what could happen there.

The wide-ranging Framework Vision suggests a host of strategies. Among those:

New residential development could rise on what is now surface parking lots, much as it has elsewhere in the greater downtown.

Surface lots could also be converted to pocket parks and other public spaces. The plan also envisions turning neglected alleys behind buildings into alley walks with murals, new lighting and other attractions.

The plan envisions everything from higher-grade paving materials to new signage and light to visually tie together the district. Traffic on Monroe could be restricted to a single one-way lane to allow for wider sidewalks for outdoor cafes.

Determined to reinvent the district

It will take years to make it happen, and will require the cooperation and investment of numerous players. But at the very least, the unveiling Wednesday by the Greektown Neighborhood Partnership, the new name for the former Greektown Preservation Society, testifies to Greektown's determination to reinvent itself with a blend of old and new urban attractions.

"It's an opportune time to knit together this neighborhood through a bold planning effort and that's exactly what this organization plans to do," said Melanie Markowicz, recently hired to serve as executive director of the partnership.

"It's not just Monroe Street we're talking about," she said. "We're talking about making it a connected, concerted neighborhood that feels cohesive and connected to the rest of the parts of the downtown core."

Keeping the 'Greek' in Greektown

Maintaining the still-strong Greek heritage remains a goal of the partnership even as new development is welcome, said Athina Papas, board president of the partnership and whose family owns multiple properties in the district and who serves as president of the association.

"Change is not necessarily a bad thing," she said. "Having some of those larger chain things brings more attention to the district. As long as it’s not overdone we can find a balance."

Tasso Teftsis, board vice president of the partnership and another long-time property owner whose venues include the Astoria Pastry Shop, echoed that.

"There’s still a lot of second generation Greek people here that really, really want to keep that” Greek identity, he said.

Unifying multiple blocks

The plan is nothing if not ambitious. It envisions unifying the multiple blocks from Lafayette on the south to Gratiot on the north, Randolph on the west and I-375 to the east. That broad area is already in line for major changes, with businessman Dan Gilbert's Bedrock real estate arm buying Wayne County's criminal justice complex and "fail jail" site for a new mixed-use development.

But the Framework Vision has support from among dozens of property owners in Greektown, including Bedrock itself, which helped pay for the Framework Vision and is committed to working with the neighborhood association to achieve a more dense, lively district with its own unique identify.

Bedrock's buy-in ensures that at least some of the vision seems like to become reality.

Greek immigrants built a popular destination

Originally settled by German immigrants, the east side of what is now downtown Detroit filled up with Greek immigrants beginning in the late 19th century.

With its many Greek eateries, its walkable scene centered on Monroe between Brush and St. Antoine, and its cluster of Victorian Era buildings, Greektown remained popular long after the city as a whole began its decline at mid-20th century.

But in more recent years, as other parts of the greater downtown advanced, Greektown increasingly failed to keep up. For one thing, it became more and more a single-use nighttime entertainment district, with little appeal for families with children, the elderly, or those seeking more variety.

Then, too, the lack of open public spaces in the district and too few trees and other greenspace limited its appeal. Late-night visitors could turn rowdy or even violent. Recent news stories about Greektown more often focused on crime rather than entertainment.

Even the Greek identity has faded. While some old Greek standbys still operate — Pegasus Taverna, Astoria Pastry Shop — chain eateries have moved in, including Wahlburgers, Coldstone Creamery, and Five Guys burgers.

And the district grew less attractive as buildings fell to make way for surface parking. Roughly half the acreage in the district is now surface lots.

At the same time, areas like Corktown and Midtown held growing appeal for young people with a mix of entertainment, housing and public spaces.

Harsh words lay out challenges

The Framework plan, developed by lead consultant SOM of Chicago, pulls no punches when discussing Greektown’s challenges.

“The district becomes much less attractive to families and daytime activities and can grow louder and rowdier at night and during events, which — without mitigation — limits its potential to attract broader uses like residential development and community services,” the report says.

“Areas with substantial surface parking areas and small, underutilized streets and public spaces can become hot spots for undesirable behavior and can feel unsafe for nearby residents, workers, and visitors.”

And as the Framework report puts it, “its lack of residential, retail, community uses and open space ensure that it becomes a void within the downtown area in the daytime.”

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But there are advantages, too

But Greektown retains advantages that, in theory at least, can be turned to its revival.

For one thing, Greektown's main thoroughfare, Monroe Street, represents one of Detroit's architectural survival stories.

"We take great pride in the fact that we have so much not only cultural heritage but architectural legacy," Markowitz said. "It’s one of the last remaining contiguous blocks of Victorian architecture in the whole city and I think we oftentimes forget that."

All those Victorian era buildings are beloved by preservationists and could be reused for housing or commercial space.

Then, too, Greektown remains steps away from some of the city’s most popular attractions, including downtown itself, the theater and stadium district, and the riverfront.

And Wayne County's agreement last year to move its criminal justice complex up to Midtown and sell that property to Bedrock ensures that the blocks north of Monroe already are in line for some of the city’s most creative new development.

That, plus rising real estate values and the demand for residential and commercial space make new investment in Greektown seem ever more likely.

Making plazas and other open spaces

So how does the Framework Vision address this? In many ways.

The Framework envisions creating a series of plazas, public open spaces, alley walks, and other walkable public spaces. New entry points would be created at, say, Randolph and Monroe or where Monroe now meets I-375.

The many surface parking lots in the district could become sites for new residential or mixed-use development.

And comprehensive use of "branding" elements could help tie the district together.

Among the streetscape elements that could visually unify the district: wide pedestrian-only zones; plentiful vegetation; signature district and street signage; premium paving treatments; street furniture and ample seating; dedicated open spaces for events and festivals; well-designed landscaping and lighting.

Time is right for change

Matt Cullen, CEO of the Bedrock real estate firm, said it's a smart time for the Greektown partnership to undertake its effort.

“They’re really at a great inflection point where there’s all kinds of cool stuff happening," he said. "I think they’re really smart getting out in front of that and putting resources behind it in the context of this broad redevelopment and how to make sure it still works for them and continue to maintain their identity."

How to achieve this blend of old and new, of Greek and non-Greek offerings, of public spaces and private development, will reveal itself over time. But for now, suffice it to say that the long-term decline of Greektown looks like its been halted.

"The core identify about what people love about Greektown for decades will still be here," said John Warner, director of neighborhood development for the new partnership. "That’s an important message. Greektown is here to stay."

Contact John Gallagher at313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com.Follow him on Twitter@jgallagherfreep. Read more on business and sign up for our business newsletter.