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An RFP is due for developers this Friday, April 21, to transform the city of Southfield.

Southfield is seeking to transform an 8.15-acre parcel into a pedestrian-friendly, traditional downtown, something the city has never seen. Planned in the middle of the 20th century, Southfield embodies a suburban era of design where cities were built for the automobile and not people.

Terry Croad is Director of Planing for the City of Southfield. Since joining the city in 2010, he’s made it his mission to help transform the city center into a more urban, walkable destination.

He started with a series of small steps; things like filling in gaps in the sidewalk around the municipal center, making Evergreen Road more pedestrian friendly, and installing bike racks and improved bus stops. The increased pedestrian activity from those efforts has helped convince city leaders that a change was possible and vital for Southfield.

“It wasn’t an easy sell five to seven years ago,” says Croad. “But the improvements made over the last couple of years have changed many of the naysayers and doubters into believers.”

The RFP put out calls for the construction of EverCentre, a high-density, mixed-use district that incorporates a pedestrian-friendly Complete Streets infrastructure at the corner of Evergreen Road and Civic Center Drive.

Plans call for multiple-story buildings of mixed residential and office use with retail on the ground floor, creating a more traditional downtown setting complete with a streetwall built right up to a sidewalk filled with outdoor seating. There’s also plans for a new park with entertainment programming among its features.

That’s not all Croad and his team are working on. Southfield is launching a bike share program by mid-to-late June, with 22 bikes spread out over five to seven locations, including the municipal center and Lawrence Tech campuses. A bike and greenway trail is also being built, with landscaping to be installed this spring. The trail will run along Northwestern Highway. Croad likens it to the High Line Park in New York City.

“We’re in competition for young talent,” says Croad. “Entrepreneurs used to locate around natural resources and transportation centers. Now they go to where the human resources are, where people want to be.”

Original Article Located here.

Evergreen Road from 11-13 Mile will be under construction from now until November 2017.  Portions between 12-13 Mile are closed to thru traffic, Lahser being the posted detour route.  Signs were posted regarding this closure two weeks ago. The rest of Evergreen and the service drives are open but with reduced lanes and some turning prohibitions per posted signs.  This week will be the worst of it as drivers find alternate routes to avoid the construction as best they can.

Lastly, Evergreen Road between 9 Mile and Northwestern will be under construction this year as well, starting mid to late May, again lasting through November.

Runners warm up before the Summer Soulstice Sun Run at Soutfield City Center on Saturday, June 19, 2016.

SOUTHFIELD — Although spring has just begun, local event organizers are encouraging residents to lace up their running shoes and strap on their party hats ahead of the new summertime Southfield Spirit Fest.

According to Southfield Community Relations Director Michael Manion, the city of Southfield is putting together a brand-new event in conjunction with the annual Summer Soulstice run.

City officials are planning a parade ahead of the run, called Southfield Spirit Fest, June 17.

The parade will take off from Lawrence Technological University’s Don Riddler Field, 21000 W. 10 Mile Road; head down Civic Center Drive; and end up on the front lawn of the Southfield Municipal Complex, 26000 Evergreen Road.

Read the full article here: http://www.candgnews.com/news/city-teams-soulstice-run-new-southfield-spirit-fest-100221

Southfield Mayor Ken Siver speaks at the State of the City address. Photo by Erin Sanchez

SOUTHFIELD/LATHRUP VILLAGE — It could have been demolished.

But it wasn’t.

During the annual State of the City address March 20 at Best Western Premier Hotel on Telegraph Road, Southfield Mayor Ken Siver reminded the elected officials and community members in attendance that the room they were sitting in could easily have been imploded if it wasn’t for a recent redevelopment effort.

“This property — we honestly thought it was going to be imploded,” Siver said. “No one is going to come here and save this property.”

Previously, the event had been held at the Westin Hotel-Southfield. The change in location highlights Southfield’s development efforts over the last few years, officials said.

In August 2015, the Southfield City Council unanimously approved a plan from a New Zealand investment group for a Commercial Exemption Certificate to rehabilitate the Best Western, formerly the Holiday Inn Hotel.

Read the full article here: http://www.candgnews.com/news/mayors-focus-future-annual-address-100350

Southfield Mayor Ken Siver and Michele Henderson, manager of Lockwood @ McDonnell Towers Apartments stand in the background of Bernadine Miller’s 3rd floor apartment.

SOUTHFIELD — Southfield officials say they have long been focused on creating an enriched community that welcomes everyone  — young and old.

According to Karen Schrock, chair of the Southfield Commission on Senior Adults, the city has recently bumped up efforts to provide resources for its aging population.

COSA is a city-led organization whose goal is to present recommendations and information to the mayor and the City Council based on studies and investigations to help the city address the needs, concerns and problems of senior adults living in the Southfield community.

The group also works closely with city departments and local agencies that serve the senior community, monitors state and federal legislation, and serves as an educational link to services and resources, officials said.

Read the full article here: http://www.candgnews.com/news/city-launches-age-friendly-community-effort-100349

The League of American Bicyclists has recognized Lawrence Technological University with a bronze Bicycle Friendly University award. Lawrence Tech is the only university in the tri-county Detroit area with the designation, which is good for four years.

The league named 51 new and renewing BFUs in 25 states this week. The organization has now named a total of 164 BFUs in 44 states and Washington, D.C. “We applaud this round of BFUs for raising the standard and being innovative in making bicycling a safe, convenient and enjoyable option for students, staff and visitors alike,” said Bill Nesper, program director for the league.

In recent years, Lawrence Tech has added bike lanes, bicycle signage, and bicycle racks around campus, including at new buildings like the A Alfred Taubman Engineering, Architecture, and Life Sciences Complex, and at the university’s new outdoor athletic field. Lawrence Tech also provides a free bicycle repair station and bicycle pumps at its Don Ridler Field House, and offers free winter bicycle storage to students. The university’s campus safety department has also been trained in bicycle safety, and the university’s Tech Transit student transportation system is now bicycle-friendly.

“We have more and more students living on campus now, and becoming more bicycle-friendly is part of the ongoing physical transformation of a commuter campus into a residential campus,” said Philip Lucas, Lawrence Tech student engagement coordinator.

Lucas thanked Lawrence Tech alumnus Mike Darga, BSCE’85, and his wife, Nancy, for a gift that made pursuing the award possible. And Lucas said the city of Southfield has also been instrumental in the designation. He said the city’s recent street improvement projects “have tied in the campus with the Southfield City Centre area, making it easier for students and staff to use bicycles to get from campus to other areas in the city.”

Darga said he and his wife made a five-year pledge to the university to improve its bike-friendliness. “I had been involved in Tour de Troit, which holds bicycle rides all through the city, and I ran into LTU folks there, including Professor Constance Bodurow,” said Darga, a senior project manager at Giffels Webster, a Detroit-based engineering firm. “We decided to do what we could to encourage biking on LTU’s campus. It’s a way to tie the campus to the community without the need for motorized transportation.” Bodurow is associate professor of architecture at LTU and founding director of studio[Ci], a multidisciplinary research team within LTU’s College of Architecture and Design. (More at http://studio-ci.net.)

With the BFU designation, Lawrence Tech will have access to tools and technical assistance from the league to become even more bicycle-friendly.

To apply or learn more about the BFU program, visit www.bikeleague.org/university. The league also offers Bicycle Friendly Community, Bicycle Friendly State and Bicycle Friendly Business programs.

Lawrence Tech joins Aquinas College, Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and the University of Michigan-Flint, as having the designation in Michigan.

Article from ltu.edu

The League of American Bicyclists has recognized Lawrence Technological University with a bronze Bicycle Friendly University award. Lawrence Tech is the only university in the tri-county Detroit area with the designation, which is good for four years.

The league named 51 new and renewing BFUs in 25 states this week. The organization has now named a total of 164 BFUs in 44 states and Washington, D.C. “We applaud this round of BFUs for raising the standard and being innovative in making bicycling a safe, convenient and enjoyable option for students, staff and visitors alike,” said Bill Nesper, program director for the league.

In recent years, Lawrence Tech has added bike lanes, bicycle signage, and bicycle racks around campus, including at new buildings like the A Alfred Taubman Engineering, Architecture, and Life Sciences Complex, and at the university’s new outdoor athletic field. Lawrence Tech also provides a free bicycle repair station and bicycle pumps at its Don Ridler Field House, and offers free winter bicycle storage to students. The university’s campus safety department has also been trained in bicycle safety, and the university’s Tech Transit student transportation system is now bicycle-friendly.

“We have more and more students living on campus now, and becoming more bicycle-friendly is part of the ongoing physical transformation of a commuter campus into a residential campus,” said Philip Lucas, Lawrence Tech student engagement coordinator.

Lucas thanked Lawrence Tech alumnus Mike Darga, BSCE’85, and his wife, Nancy, for a gift that made pursuing the award possible. And Lucas said the city of Southfield has also been instrumental in the designation. He said the city’s recent street improvement projects “have tied in the campus with the Southfield City Centre area, making it easier for students and staff to use bicycles to get from campus to other areas in the city.”

Darga said he and his wife made a five-year pledge to the university to improve its bike-friendliness. “I had been involved in Tour de Troit, which holds bicycle rides all through the city, and I ran into LTU folks there, including Professor Constance Bodurow,” said Darga, a senior project manager at Giffels Webster, a Detroit-based engineering firm. “We decided to do what we could to encourage biking on LTU’s campus. It’s a way to tie the campus to the community without the need for motorized transportation.” Bodurow is associate professor of architecture at LTU and founding director of studio[Ci], a multidisciplinary research team within LTU’s College of Architecture and Design. (More at http://studio-ci.net.)

With the BFU designation, Lawrence Tech will have access to tools and technical assistance from the league to become even more bicycle-friendly.

To apply or learn more about the BFU program, visit www.bikeleague.org/university. The league also offers Bicycle Friendly Community, Bicycle Friendly State and Bicycle Friendly Business programs.

Lawrence Tech joins Aquinas College, Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and the University of Michigan-Flint, as having the designation in Michigan.

Article from ltu.edu