Spirit Plaza in downtown Detroit will become permanent after City Council voted Tuesday to keep the activation.

Council members voted 5-4 in favor of keeping the park.

New construction on the plaza, to truly "make it more permanent," is planned to include a stage, playground, better seating, bike stations and enhanced green space, said Brad Dick, general services director for Detroit. The project, bid out to Detroit-based Premier Group Associates at a price tag of just less than $800,000, was approved by City Council and is expected to begin in the next three weeks and be done by the end of September.

The outdoor plaza on the block of Woodward Avenue between Larned Street and Jefferson Avenue in front of City Hall opened in 2017 as a temporary park operated by the city. Later that year, City Council agreed to keep it open despite criticism that the project did not initially receive council approval. Businesses there have also expressed concern that the plaza is hurting business by blocking car traffic and parking.

The plaza serves to connect the esplanade in the center of Woodward Avenue to Campus Martius and Hart Plaza. It's used for special events, but mostly as a place for people to gather for lunch, play games and relax.

Councilman Roy McCalister Jr. said he was against the plaza because of safety and traffic concerns. Other council members who voted against it were President Brenda Jones, Mary Sheffield and Janeé Ayers.

"People might be downtown to have a good time, but people might be here for other reasons," McCalister said.

Sheffield argued that the activation be extended only for three or five years and then be renewed. Dick said making the park permanent would allow the city to be eligible for more state and federal grants because the city receives points for each park it operates.

Councilwoman Raquel Castañeda-López said the park has become an asset for the city.

"I think it creates a safe space for people to come together," she said.