Help Shape Woodward Complete Streets Master Plan

The community is invited to help shape the Woodward Complete Streets master plan during three days of interactive events this month.

The Woodward Avenue Action Association, an economic and community development organization, will host the events – which it refers to as a "charrette" – April 17-19 at St. James Catholic Church in Ferndale.

The Woodward Complete Streets initiative, which first was announced in August 2011, aims to make the 27-mile stretch of roadway from Detroit Pontiac more safe, friendly and accessible for users of all modes and abilities, according to a WA3 press release. It is funded through a $752,000 Federal Highway Administration Grant.

“We want to create a street that truly works for everyone," said Jason Fowler, WA3 and Woodward Complete Streets Program Manager. "Imagine a corridor that accommodates people of all ages and abilities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, seniors, mobility-challenged individuals, transit riders and motorists.”

The event that kicks off April 17, which is the first of five that will be held in the coming months, will focus on the portion of Woodward Avenue that stretches from McNichols in Detroit north through Ferndale.

The Woodward Complete Streets event on April 17 also will include a Woodward Avenue rapid transit forum being held the same evening at St. James. The complete charrette lineup follows.

April 17

• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Drop-in hours.
• 5-6:30 p.m.: Community meeting and presentation.
• 6:30-8 p.m.: Rapid transit forum.

April 18

• 9 a.m. to  noon: Walking audit and interactive design workshop with Dan Burden of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute.
• Noon to 8 p.m.: Drop-in hours.

April 19

• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Drop-in hours.
• 3-5 p.m.: Plan concepts presentation.

“The Woodward Avenue Complete Streets master plan, which will cover 27 miles, could be the single largest Complete Streets planning effort ever undertaken in North America.” – Dan Burden of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute

The upcoming Woodward Complete Streets meetings will be held on the following dates.

• May 20-22: Birmingham/Bloomfield Hills
• June 3-5: Bloomfield Township/Pontiac
• June 10-12: Pleasant Ridge through Berkley
• June 17-19: Downtown Detroit through Highland Park

The events are free and no registration is required.

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