Trenton Park is Changing: City to Take Bids to Bring Restaurants, Shops and More to Elizabeth Park

By Zachary Gorchow, Detroit Free Press

Mar. 31–In two years, Elizabeth Park in Trenton — once edging toward eyesore status but since invigorated with renovations — could take the next step toward revitalization with the establishment of restaurants, shops and family entertainment.

Wayne County, which owns the park, will begin accepting bids April 14 from vendors interested in leasing space within a 36-acre parcel on the east side of the park along the Detroit River, County Executive Robert Ficano said Thursday.

The 162-acre park already features a 1,300-foot riverwalk, softball fields and paths for cycling, inline skating, hiking and cross-country skiing. The county recently spent $2 million improving a shelter building and tourist lodge at the park and plans to convert abandoned tennis courts into a skate park this summer.

One idea is to close the park to motorized vehicles, like Mackinac Island, allowing only bicycles and horse-drawn carriages.

Another possibility is to construct a permanent riverfront music amphitheater, new dining facilities and shops, and to create opportunities for sports associations to locate at the park.

Ficano said officials like the concept of a “mini Mackinac Island,” but other ideas are welcome.

Trenton Mayor Gerald Brown said he remembers when Elizabeth Park was “a really rocking park” and also the days when he was a police officer and the park had a bad reputation.

The development project would be a boost to the park and Trenton, Brown said.

“This is going to be a destination point, it really is,” he said.

Vic Chiasson, an Eastern Michigan University professor who headed a committee to study development at the park, said it would take at least 18 to 24 months for the project to be completed from the time it goes out to bid in April.

Officials would not say which developers have inquired about the project, but Ficano said there is interest.

Some county funds might be necessary to upgrade parking lots along nearby West Jefferson Avenue if the county decides to shut the park to motorized vehicles to allow for adequate off-site parking, Ficano said. But that money could come from road and grant funds, not the county’s general fund.

Contact ZACHARY GORCHOW at 313-223-4536.

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