Final approvals are in the works to redevelop Midland's downtown riverfront area.
The $14 million project will include more lighting for night-time activities, a restored splash pad and an event area that includes a stage.
After Midland’s farmers market was relocated in 2020 due to flooding, the city had an opportunity to reimagine the riverfront space. Selina Harris, the community affairs director for Midland, said the project started by asking the community what they wanted to see in the redevelopment.
“They wanted more interaction with the riverfront itself," Harris said. "How can they get right up close and actually interact with the riverfront? Whether that's canoeing and kayaking, or just sitting along the riverfront area.”
Harris said one part of the plan is to install a concrete track for biking and inline skating that can transform into an ice rink during the winter months.
The reconstruction will also replace the 25-year-old Gerstacker splash pad, a "beloved fixture of the riverfront area" which Harris said has come to the end of it's long life.
Harris believes the spot could become a year-round activity center for people of all ages. The ultimate goal of the project, she said, is to increase connectivity between the riverfront and businesses on main street.
“Hopefully just giving people one more reason to come to downtown Midland and enjoy the riverfront area," Harris said.
The project is sandwiched in between two other reconstruction projects on the riverfront.
A project in Poseyville is currently underway to reconstruct a 19-acre site on the south side of the Tittabawassee River, which will include trails and a footbridge.
Last year, Currie Stadium in Emerson Park was demolished to allow for a reconstruction.
"(The master plan) may include more kayaking and canoe launch spaces that will lead you right into downtown," Harris said about the Emerson Park project. "So this is part of kind of a a lineage of park and water opportunities all in this same space"
Harris said they are still seeking final approvals for the reconstruction of Midland's downtown riverfront area, and she hopes construction can begin in the next year or two.
