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