Landscape redevelopment approved for Big Beaver corridor

TROY — The Troy Downtown Development Association has announced plans for a new landscaping design for the Big Beaver corridor.

The corridor stretches from about half a mile to the west of Coolidge Highway, near the Kmart headquarters, to Rochester Road. The new project will redevelop that entire area over the next 10 years, starting with the diverging diamond intersection around the entrances and exits to Interstate-75.

“Years ago, we did a landscaping project in the Big Beaver corridor, and we recognize now that some of the trees have gone through their lifecycle or that things have gotten run down,” explained DDA Chair Alan Kuriluk. “Things weren’t maintained as we’d liked, so we thought it was time to refresh the whole corridor.”

The DDA will be heading up the project with input from the city of Troy, which helps fund the DDA.

“It is the DDA in Troy, which operates this district, sponsoring this and going through the design work,” said DPW Director Kurt Bovensiep. “The City Council is involved because it’s set up general fund accounts that fund the DDA and projects like this that they do. The council approved the funds by the City Council unanimously. … It is something that the DDA has been interested in for many years.”

Kuriluk said the plan is to beautify the whole area utilizing trees and shrubbery, but also other features, such as stone and brick.

“We want to fill it with Michigan native trees,” he said. “There will be architectural features, which means landscape features such as stones, walls, benches, sidewalks, and perhaps water features. … We want to look at the vegetation in the area and look at the soft spots in the corridor. We want to create a branding of a sort as people drive down Big Beaver or exit off of I-75. We want them to get a feel for the city of Troy.”

Bovensiep said that one of the main aspects desired by community members they spoke to via stakeholder engagement discussions was interest in making the corridor more pedestrian friendly.

“To my surprise, almost every stakeholder expressed making the area more walkable and adding more pedestrian crossings and making it more safe for pedestrians,” Bovensiep said. “There isn’t a lot of foot traffic in the area currently, but this landscaping effort could change that, especially with new residential developments nearby. We have an opportunity to move the sidewalk farther from the street and create almost a linear park-type feel, particularly down on the west end of this corridor.”

“We also want to enhance the pedestrian walkability,” added Kuriluk. “We don’t want the landscaping to block one side of the road from the other, but we want to make it a road where people can explore on foot as well as by vehicle. We want it to enhance the wayfinding in the area as well to help guide drivers and pedestrians so they can see where they are going and know where everything is, particularly at the intersection with the I-75 ramps.”

The city of Troy may also use the opportunity to revitalize a parcel of land it owns at the intersection of Big Beaver Road and Livernois Road, but plans will be determined after work is completed on a neighboring parcel, owned by DTE Energy.

“(The city owns) a small parcel of land at the intersection of Big Beaver and Livernois that is adjacent to some property owned by DTE Energy,” said Bovensiep. “DTE is going through an expansion at their Apache substation. We’re going through reviewing their plans, and they have a landscaping plan for their land, so we are holding off on making decisions for that property, but we are looking at this project as an opportunity to do something with that parcel.”

Bovensiep stressed that funding for the project does not come from taxes levied on Troy residents but on funds gathered specifically for the DDA from businesses in that area.

“Our messaging is going to be that this corridor is different,” he remarked. “It is not city taxpayer dollars that are going into the corridor, it is DDA money. People often assume this is their property taxes making this investment, but it’s the businesses who have a vested interest in making sure this corridor is vibrant and well maintained.”

Designs have been proposed by OHM Advisors, and the project has been approved by both the DDA and city officials.

“The DDA board (on Oct. 19) approved the contract for the design and construction documents. Work will begin early next year. The improvements will actually be in place starting next summer,” said Kuriluk. “The work will be done in phases over the next 10 years. We will begin with the I-75 interchange in 2023.”

Kuriluk believes the new project will be a much-needed investment in the Troy community.

“I think we’re going to have a truly amazing and perhaps award-winning corridor, from a safety standpoint, from a walkability standpoint and in terms of sheer beauty,” he said.