September 26, 2019, Tour and Feedback Event
Thank you for making our Historic Fort Wayne tour and feedback session a success!
The City of Detroit General Services Department hosted a tour, informational meeting, and feedback session on September 26, 2019, at Historic Fort Wayne. Over 70 community members and stakeholders were present.
Attendees were greeted upon arrival by city staff, who led a series of small group tours highlighting the opportunities and challenges of Historic Fort Wayne. Afterwards, a meeting in the Visitors Center building began with presentations by city staff.
GSD staff described the rich history and significance of Historic Fort Wayne, and discussed the objectives of the current planning process—to enhance equity of access and recreational opportunity at Historic Fort Wayne, and facilitate the preservation of historic buildings through adaptive use.
After the staff presentation, smaller breakout tables focused on five different areas. Attendees were provided with maps and a chart, highlighting ideas and suggested uses for each area, based on input from prior community meetings and engagement. Participants provided feedback via stickers (stars representing “like,” squares representing “dislike”) and written comments, shown below by category.
Table 1: Star Fort and Burial Mound
County Park/Metropark/State Park/National Park (30 likes, 0 dislikes)
Would like to see all organizations involved, need leadership structure
Star fort is in excellent condition, proximate to ingress/egress; cede to National Park Service
Preserve and interpret burial mound (29 likes, 0 dislikes)
Make sure the Tribes direct and benefit from this awesome idea
Redesign fencing to limit access but increase visual appeal
Extend burial mound
Give burial mound and star fort back to Tribes
Event Rental (17 likes, 5 dislikes)
Wear and tear, unless more money is put in
Would be okay if it was truly revenue generating and didn’t impact the historic fort or mound
Hospitality (5 likes, 17 dislikes)
Bed and breakfast in historic houses would be very good
If there is a hotel you don’t know who will stay there; should be a place to visit, not spend the night
Other
Native plants, wooded paths
Fort is the focal point of the whole site; story needs to be told
Table 2: Officers Row and NCO Row
Demolish buildings in poor condition (1 like, 26 dislikes)
Some are beyond repair
New roofs, painting, would quickly clean up the buildings
Museums/cultural center (16 likes, 0 dislikes)
One building for each era
Period farming
Art studios/workshops/business incubator (15 likes, 0 dislikes)
Local art gallery
Something like Techtown
Education/skills training (15 likes, 0 dislikes)
Skills training with veterans to restore buildings
Period skills (candle making, ironwork, quilts)
Provide art skill activities (ironwork, blacksmith shop)
Housing/residential (6 likes, 9 dislikes)
Private housing
High priced condominiums with a private marina
Small-scale retail/shops (3 likes, 9 dislikes)
Could be artisan or historic, not general utility
Lodging (6 likes, 5 dislikes)
Group educational retreats or cruises. Possibly weddings or other events if not priced to only serve high end
Open space/parking (0 likes, 11 dislikes)
No parking!
So much of Detroit is parking already! Keep that Mackinac Island feeling
Event rental (8 likes, 1 dislike)
Who is going to clean up afterward?
Other
Make this place dog friendly!
Rotating outdoor sculptures by Michigan sculptors
Table 3: Warehouses, Theater, Guard House, and Cram Street Buildings
Preserve/activate historic buildings (16 likes, 0 dislikes)
Allow small businesses to restore buildings and get a lease
Offer housing for veterans in exchange for training and rehab
Generate revenue by allowing small retail or ice cream shops to rehab buildings
Using some of these buildings to generate income seems essential for sustainable development without burdening the city; let people make money, B&Bs seem like an excellent idea
Would like to see universities, city, NPS, and other
Theater (19 likes, 0 dislikes)
Outdoor movies in summer, indoor in winter
Housing/residential (8 likes, 7 dislikes)
High cost; considerable zoning, code, safety, and access issues
Residential mix=neighborhood watch
Housing might be better, if at all, along the Jefferson buildings; veterans opportunity, seniors, university, special projects
Food service/cafe/restaurant/brewery (10 likes, 2 dislikes)
Historic and cultural food (a bakery was once here)
Art studios/workshops/business incubator (8 likes, 1 dislike)
Yes, bring in many tourists
Table 4: Parade Ground and Riverfront
Interpret Native American history (29 likes, 1 dislike)
Make sure actual Native people benefit
Give parade ground back to the Tribes
Campground (5 likes, 15 dislikes)
Self-contained camper parking
Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts
No actual campground but yes to keeping Scouts and educational camping events
River walk/boardwalk (18 likes, 0 dislikes)
Natural habitat, not concerts like downtown
Not connected to RiverWalk
Festivals, concerts, art fairs (17 likes, 0 dislikes)
Leave riverfront natural, no concerts
Sports (soccer, baseball, frisbee) (12 likes, 5 dislikes)
Use fill land for sports and concerts, not burial ground
Community gardens (8 likes, 2 dislikes)
Victory Garden
Kayak launch (8 likes, 5 dislikes)
Kayak launch, no rental, no motorboats
Public art/sculpture/fountains (10 likes, 0 dislikes)
Removable yes, permanent no
Seating or amphitheater (3 likes, 7 dislikes)
Removable yes, permanent no
Food vendors/food trucks (3 likes, 4 dislikes)
Only for events
Other
Grant home, Riverfront restaurant, Garbage and recycle bins
Table 5: Connectivity
Connect to City of River Rouge (4 likes, 14 dislikes)
Connect to downriver bike trails
Partner with neighbors (18 likes, 0 dislikes)
Partner with human neighbors, not just institutions
Michigan Welcome Center
DDOT, SMART, Transit Windsor bus service (11 likes, 0 dislikes)
Yes please! Public transit = public access
Water Taxi (9 likes, 3 dislikes)
Taxi across river to Sandwich windmill
Wonderful way to connect Fort Wayne
Extend operating hours (9 likes, 1 dislike)
Better promote hours so everyone knows when they can go
Encourage school field trips
Improve parking (3 likes, 3 dislikes)
Do not park on Native ground during events
Other
Detroit River Heritage Water Trail, Dock for Diamond Jack, river traffic