Report on the Parks of Southwest Detroit

Area Covered: Beyond Springwells Village but within the bounds of the inner southwest Strategic Initiative Area – south of Michigan Avenue, North of Fort St., east of Woodmere Cemetery. This work was sponsored by a Good Neighborhoods Initiative Planning Grant from the Skillman Foundation. NCI is solely responsible for its content.
Neighborhood parks are important building blocks to our goal of “Successful Families in Healthy Neighborhoods.” Here is what they do:

• Stabilize neighborhoods. When people love their neighborhood because of a key asset such as an outstanding park or church or other feature, they are more likely to invest further in their homes, put their roots down deeper, and make a long term commitment to living there. In stable neighborhoods, people build long-term relationships between families and hold each other’s children accountable to high standards and challenge them to achieve high goals.
• Bring people together. In a strong and safe neighborhood, people come together at a common location and get to know each other in shared activities. Good parks accomplish that.
• Bring generations together. Young people do not feel safe in an environment where adults are absent. Good parks provide comfortable settings in which the generations can look after each other and share their values and experiences.
• Support a great start in life. Very young children are hardwiring the brains and developing the skills that will determine their success levels through the rest of their lives. Well-designed parks will offer parents of young children attractive and comfortable settings where they can provide safe but challenging activities to build young minds and bodies.
• Provide a location for vigorous, spontaneous play. Kids of all ages need this as a part of healthy human development. A good neighborhood park provides a place for pickup games, running, biking, and challenging activities. In the absence of such facilities, streets and alleys become the undesirable outdoor alternatives to electronic media and other unhealthy indoor amusements.
• Create the base for league sports. Parks with adequate facilities for field and court sports are basic building blocks for community leagues that will challenge children through competition to achieve their potential. League sports also allow positive adults to form strong, nurturing relationships with young people.

Park Name: Lafayette-NYCRR Playlot
Location: 8118 W. Lafayette
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 317
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Improve

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: Can anchor the area south of Chamberlain. With Greenway, can also serve Rathbone. W. Lafayette as a dead end provides a sense of “safe haven” and is attracting some significant home investments. With street and park improvements, could be base for at least 7 new homes on W. Lafayette and Chamberlain plus renovation of five or more vacant homes.

Current Condition: Abandoned. Used as dumping area for stripped cars and as shortcut for dead end street. Railroad property overgrowth is taking

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: In area with many small children. No current useful features.

Usefulness for Adolescents: No current useful features.

Recommendation: Expand with one adjacent newly vacant lot on W. Lafayette. Close off to traffic. Develop with small child features, benches and track for adults, and playing field space and basketball goal for adolescents. (The plan below was developed with community input through the Skillman Planning Grant.) Develop three adjacent City-owned lots on Chamberlain as two residential with side driveways and one 15’ greenway opening park up to Chamberlain use while adding natural supervision. Develop greenway access to Rathbone. Create curb bump-out on Chamberlain as traffic calming device.

Park Name: Beard Playlot
Location: 8902 W. Fort
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 382
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Reposition

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: Dangerous location for unsupervised children. Not a residential location.

Current Condition: Mowed

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: No current usable features.

Usefulness for Adolescents: No current usable features.

Recommendation: Sell to adjacent commercial interests as soon as possible.

Park Name: Boyer Playground
Location: 6203 W. Vernor
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 019
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Reposition

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: Dense housing, fully developed on three sides. Commercial on fourth side. Making this into a more useful park would improve value of existing housing and would enhance the park’s safety and value for human development.

Current Condition: New playscape features. Large area (1.77 acres).

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Good playscape. However, no benches for parents near playscape. No jogging/walking/biking trail.

Usefulness for Adolescents: No features for teens. Large field area is populated with trees making field games impossible.

Recommendation: To bring adults with children, add three benches near playscape. To bring other adults, add paved track. To serve area teen population, add single court basketball. Also, remove trees in middle of park and create field for soccer and football. Reposition picnic tables to permit field use.

Alternative Recommendation: Develop this land commercially and reposition the park to a location where it would be surrounded by residential properties and safer and more attractive for park use.

Park Name: 25th - Toledo
Location: 2077 25th St.
Detroit Recreation Department (DRD) identification number: 302
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Reposition

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: This is a single lot in the middle of a block that borders an industrial area. This is a poor location for a park.

Current Condition: Fair.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Very limited. No benches for adults. Very few features for children.

Usefulness for Adolescents: None.

Recommendation: Redevelop this entire block as residential. Add small child and elementary play features at or near Clippert Academy which has a soccer field (or at more central park location in neighborhood).

Park Name: Clark Park
Location: 4301 W. Vernor
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 040
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Maintain

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: This 30 acre site is the green centerpiece of southwest Detroit west of Livernois and south of the railyards for which it serves various regional functions. It is also the neighborhood park for families within walking distance.

Current Condition: Very good with many features.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Not assessed.

Usefulness for Adolescents: Major resources for league sports and pickup games. As a large facility, safety for individual and small group use is important and that perception of safety is best served if there are on site features and facilities that attract a continuous stream of family users.

Recommendation: No improvement recommendations.

Park Name: Clemente Playground
Location: 2631 Bagley
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 483
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Maintain

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: This very attractive park near Stanton Park further buttresses a small neighborhood being redeveloped through the efforts of Bagley Housing.

Current Condition: Excellent.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: The presence of only one bench would discourage adults from walking there to spend time with their young children.

Usefulness for Adolescents: There are no features specific to the interests of adolescents. Our perspective is that this will result in inappropriate use by this age group of materials designed for younger children. Apparently, the thought at this site is that adolescents have indoor basketball resources to use instead which is fine unless the indoor facility is not available on a continuous basis.

Recommendation: Definitely add the additional bench and picnic table suggested in the Recreation Department review comments section. Increased use by parents accompanying their children will make the site safer for all children and it will also serve to create more social ties throughout the community. Consider also placement of one feature for adolescents as it is unlikely that the indoor structure on the site meets all adolescent recreational needs at all times. Consider also the fact that the nearby Stanton Park also has a design that excludes adolescents.

Park Name: Stanton Park
Location: 17th, 18th, and Porter
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 174
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Maintain

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: Well-situated to reinforce neighborhood with new infill housing.

Current Condition: Good with many features.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Playscape and benches.

Usefulness for Adolescents: None. Adolescents may express hostility toward a site that was designed without reference to their needs.

Recommendation: Consider adding a feature that will show concern and respect for needs of teens.

Park Name: Forman Playfield
Location: 150 S. Forman
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 437
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Improve

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: The location has several disadvantages. It has a small residential neighborhood only at one end. A railroad and a freeway border on two long sides. Also, the much larger and better-furnished Delray Playground is only a few blocks away. On the other hand, the fact that the park ends on the Rouge River provides unique potential for further development as a part of some future development of the west Delray community.

Current Condition: The 6+ acre grassy field for softball or soccer with 2 softball backstop screens provides some possibility for league play or practice for the general area. Its hidden location may make it unknown to organized groups that could integrate it into their current league plans.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Very limited.

Usefulness for Adolescents: Good playing fields.

Recommendation: Consider immediate regional use if needed use for league play if seasonally furnished with rented portable toilets. Develop with further small child features and benches at such time as the full potential of the site’s riverfront vista can be developed in connection with residential redevelopment of the adjacent community.

Park Name: Marvin J. Penz Playlot
Location: 550 Greyfriars
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 385
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Improve

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: Only walking-distance park in middle of small neighborhood with growing population of young children.

Current Condition: Obsolete and minimally furnished.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Minimal equipment that is present does not have acceptable fall surfaces. No benches for parents with small children.

Usefulness for Adolescents: Nothing.

Recommendation: Update with current playscape for young children and fall zones meeting current safety standards. Add benches to attract parents to come with their children. Add a tire swing for older children. It may be possible to add a basketball goal at the Sanders/Dumfries point of the park so that adolescents will have something of interest for them.

Park Name: Military-Regular
Location: 1238 Military
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 491
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Improve

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: This is in center of a densely-populated neighborhood. Although the next street to the east (Cavalry) has many improved homes, there are 5 vacant lots on Military that provide potential for development. Since many of the remaining homes are large, this could be a potential location for new upscale or large housing rather than bungalow homes, if the park were to be improved. This a very good-sized lot with considerable potential.

Current Condition: Poor state of repair. The artificial hills at north end may be unmowable, accounting for their poor state of maintenance. These also create shields for unacceptable activities. Benches by playscape are in need of replacement. No fence.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Needs new and additional benches to attract parents and additional play features for children, e.g., a tire swing. No track for adult walkers or runners.

Usefulness for Adolescents: No features other than field itself. This, together with the shield of the hills and the lack of natural supervision due to vacant lots on Military, may contribute to making the playscape a target for teen vandalism.

Recommendation: Install fence to contain small children and balls. Add basketball and strike-out features for adolescents. Remove or reduce hills. Add benches, walking/biking track, and play features such as tire swing. Upgrade fall zones. Remove or paint over graffiti. Link redevelopment of park with new housing on Military to assure more natural supervision.

Park Name: Patton Park
Location: 8151 Dix
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 138
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Improve

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: This park has two functions.
1. It is the neighborhood park for the homes north of W. Vernor and west of Springwells as well as for the homes on the north side of Dix Rd.
2. It is most notable as a regional resource for league sports for teens and adults for southwest Detroit west of Livernois.

Current Condition: It is being redeveloped on a large scale.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Extensive renovations are planned for Patton Park. We understand that the usefulness for adults and small children will be greatly enhanced. It is beyond the scope of this report to critique the new plans.

Usefulness for Adolescents: Extensive renovations are planned for Patton Park. We understand that the usefulness for adolescents will be greatly enhanced. It is beyond the scope of this report to critique the new plans.

Recommendation: To project a sense of safety, such a large site needs a safe zone that is near residences and is saturated with features that will attract parents with young children. Due to transportation and safety issues in southwest Detroit, Patton Park should not be viewed as a substitute for neighborhood parks throughout Springwells Vil

Park Name: Wingo (aka: The Waldo Playlot)
Location: 6936 Waldo
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 330
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Improve

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: Ideally located in the heart of a densely populated neighborhood with many children. Aside from a public school with basketball goals, this is the only play facility in the neighborhood without crossing either Michigan Avenue or Livernois. Optimally improving this facility would make it the centerpiece of the community, a gathering spot for parents, and an intensively used development aid for children and teens.

Current Condition: Obsolete and poorly furnished. Very little to do here.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: No swings for preschool children. No playscape. No benches for adults other than one picnic table. Non-compliant fall zones. No features for adults.

Usefulness for Adolescents: Very poor. 1 basketball goal over dirt surface.

Recommendation: Add privately owned lot at end. Develop intensively with features for all ages. Playscape and swings for preschool and elementary children. Tire swing. Create rollerblade hockey rink and paved basketball court for teens. Alternatively to hockey rink, position all installations to permit pickup football/soccer field if room. Add track around field for biking, running, walking and add benches around playscape to attract parents.

Park Name: Romanowski Park
Location: 4795 Lonyo
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 106
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Improve

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: Densely populated immediate area on two sides; serves broader SW Detroit area.

Current Condition: This 26 acre site provides excellent major features for basketball, tennis, softball and soccer.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Swing sets for preschool and older children would be vastly improved with the addition of seats. Safe fall zone materials are needed. Attractiveness to parents with children would be greatly improved by adding benches and features for elementary and middle school children such as a tire swing. The 1 mile paved trail is an excellent feature for adults and for bikers of all ages.

Usefulness for Adolescents: This would be a safer and more welcoming environment for adolescents if more parents were attracted by appropriate equipment for young children including benches for the parents. A tire swing would attract more teens as well as parents with small children. A large site is great for leagues but the anonymity of the site can be intimidating for elementary and adolescent young people in terms of spontaneous daily play.

Recommendation: Improve safety for all users by making the area attractive to parents with small and elementary children. More users will lead to greater sense of safety which will in turn lead to more use.

Park Name: Lumley-Michigan Playlot
Location: 4751 Lumley
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 432
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Reposition

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: This curiously-located park is only two and one-half blocks from the Romanowski Park which has vastly greater size and potential.

Current Condition: Obsolete and limited equipment; non-compliant fall zones.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Very little for children or adults.

Usefulness for Adolescents: Nothing.

Recommendation: Dispose of with conversion to residential in-fill housing use and concentrate resources on nearby Romanowski Park. It is impossible to justify the investment this park would require to be adequate for any use with Romanowski Park so nearby.

Park Name: St. Hedwig Playlot
Location: 2900 Junction / 5661 Konkel
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 227
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Improve

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: With one side along railroad, the location is not ideal, but the park is so large, it has the potential from drawing from a wide area. The residential area in surrounding blocks has many vacant lots. Further development of the park should be linked to construction of infill housing in the surrounding area. School of the Americas is across the street.

Current Condition: Large (13.56 acres) with several good features and good level of maintenance. Fall material around playscape appears skimpy.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: The playscape is rather minimal for a park this size. The 10 to 12 inch depth of the sharply defined border gives the playscape area fall zone high potential for successful use of donated recycled rubber granules for safety enhancement. There are no small swings. Only one good bench is present to attract parents with small children. No walking trail.

Usefulness for Adolescents: Basketball and large field space provides opportunity for excellent league sports activities.

Recommendation: Expand playscape and add small child features such as small swings. Walking trail and benches at playscape will enhance attractiveness to parents and adults without children. Add rubber fill material (Ford donation?) to sunken fall area around playscape. Use field as center

Park Name: Weiss Playlot
Location: 9215 Mandale
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: 199
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Improve

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: Provides an important asset for upgrading the market for multiple nearby apartments and homes that are upscale for Springwells Village. Very attractive in terms of trees, proximity to historic cemetery across street. Densely populated nearby neighborhood. Prostitution and drug trafficking currently occurs out of gate on Woodmere side.

Current Condition: Many old features have become dangerous or totally dysfunctional.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: Very limited play features. Fall zones are not cushioned. No benches for adults. No track.

Usefulness for Adolescents: One feature – a too-tall basketball hoop with asphalt surface in need of repair.

Recommendation: Replace Woodmere fence with tall fence that will have no gate so as to make drug/prostitution trafficking inconvenient. Trim trees to maximum height so as to improve night time visibility. Remove dead trees. Remove concrete crawl tubes. Redevelop with new features that will attract parents, children and adolescents such as playscapes for both preschool and elementary children, benches for adults, walking/biking trail, and new basketball features for both teens and young children. Replace Mandale fence for appearance. Determine whether sidewalk replacement is necessary.

A sketch of the proposed redevelopment plan is available from Tim Karl, Landscape Architect, Detroit Recreation Department.

Park Name: Playground of Phoenix Multicultural Academy, a middle school of Detroit Public Schools
Location: 7735 Lane
Detroit Recreation Department identification number: Not DRD property.
DRD Strategic Master Plan Condition and Capacity Report Property Potential Rating: Not DRD property.

NCI Assessment

Locational potential: This is the only viable site for a major playground in the “Phoenix” neighborhood, the triangular subdivision bounded by Springwells on the west, W. Vernor on the north, and Waterman and the railroad viaduct on the east/southeast. This is a densely populated area of 3,398 persons which has been grew at an annual rate of 1.4% between 1990 and 2000. In 2000, the population of children ages 0 through 14 was 968 (or 18.5% of the total population). Most of the housing is intact and occupied. The developmental challenge is whether the children can be adequately served by the current facilities such that the area will have a healthy and socially positive generation of children and teens over the next critical years. If the area is valued by its population, the current trend of home improvements on some nearby streets will be accelerated and spread throughout the area, overcoming some current blight nearest the playground.

Current Condition: The playground is almost totally undeveloped although it does have a very good new fence.

Usefulness for Adults and Small Children: There are no features for these purposes.

Usefulness for Adolescents: There is no feature present other than four basketball goals over a dirt surface and a large area suitable for sports.

Recommendation: The school administration, students, and neighborhood residents have worked with us to develop the following plan to convert this featureless playground in to an intergenerational family park with developmental activities for every age.