Dearborn

New Dearborn train station will connect to The Henry Ford

By Newsroom

●

April 19, 2012

Dearborn is first out of the gate for developing a new Metro Detroit intermodal train station. This one not only services the community but connects visitors to The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village. Excerpt: "The construction ceremony was held at Greenfield Village because a new entrance to the Henry Ford complex will allow train passengers easy access to the visitor attraction. The money for the new train station was approved two years ago under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but Congress did not sign off on the funding until August. Dearborn will consolidate its two passenger rail stations into an intermodal station on Elm Street near South Brady in the west section of downtown. Construction has begun on Michigan Avenue near the Southfield Freeway." Read the rest here.

Construction begins on $28.2 million transportation station in Dearborn

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

April 12, 2012

Ground was broken Tuesday on a $28.2 million station to be used for multiple modes of transportation and a crucial link in regional mass transit. The Intermodal Passenger Rail Station will be built at 20201 W. Michigan Ave., west of the Southfield Freeaway at the entrance of west downtown Dearborn. Besides being a crucial link for Amtrak service and local bus services, the 16,000-square-foot glass-and-brick, historical-meets-contemporary structure will serve as a station for all types of transportation public and private. There will be Wi-Fi service for passengers, bicycles racks, and interior design that highlights Dearborn's history and best-known institutions. The exterior will be a mix of contemporary design elements and historic features of landmark train stations. There will be a pedestrian bridge and a clock tower. In addition, it will be built with green features such as a solar collectors on the rooftop, rain gardens and energy efficient heating and cooling. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2013. About 280 temporary construction jobs will be created and 25 permanent employees, some full-time, some part-time, will be needed to operate the station. Federal Department of Transportation and economic stimulus funds are paying for the project. Locally, it will be a convenient source of transportation for employees of some of the city's major institution and for visitors to its tourist attractions. Regionally, it "will serve as a rail gateway to Dearborn and Southeast Michigan," according to an announcement released by the city Tuesday, the day a ceremony celebrating the ground breaking at The Henry Ford. "The important transportation link will allow thousands of passengers per year to make connections to Amtrak’s Wolverine service that extends from Pontiac to Chicago; as well as to SMART, DDOT, Greyhound and charter buses; corporate and hotel shuttles; taxis and personal vehicles. The station is positioned to support the eventual operation of the Detroit to Chicago High Speed Rail Corridor, which already has seen progress in western Michigan. "It will also serve the proposed Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter rail line. Eventually, the commuter rail line will allow easy bus connection to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The station’s proximity to the Rouge River Gateway Trail on the north side of Michigan Avenue in Dearborn should prove popular to pedestrians and bicyclists and provide easy access to the campuses of the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Henry Ford Community College," the statement went on to say. It's a massive overhaul and ambitious project for a site previously used to only to store vehicles. Source: City of Dearborn Department of Public Information Writer: Kim North Shine

Dearborn HS students shoot feature film

By Newsroom

●

Arts and Culture

●

April 5, 2012

The Michigan film incentive may be on life support but some Dearborn teens are determined to keep the cameras rolling. Excerpt: "Prom-iscuous," the 13th annual Dearborn High School feature film about a senior prom, is so well-written, produced, directed and acted the ban on lewd dancing is the only indication this is a film put on by adolescents. Kelley Thierry, 17, wrote "Prom-iscuous" and Taylor Stanislawski, 17, directed the film, which premieres May 23 and 24 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn. The "mock-umentary" involves MTV following six kids as they prepare for the prom. All of the students are enrolled in the class Advanced Movie Making, taught by Kurt Doelle, whose credits include the 2011 Arts Educator Award from the Dearborn Community Arts Council and the district's Teacher of the Year award a few years back. But please don't ask him about it because he simply doesn't do the ego thing. At all. Read the rest of the story here.

Six years since leaving – and growing – Tijuana’s Mexican returns to Dearborn

By Newsroom

●

Arts and Culture

●

April 5, 2012

When Tijuana's Mexican restaurant opened on the border of Dearborn and Detroit 20 years ago all went smoothly, except for one thing: The printer and sign-maker got the name wrong. Instead of Tia Juana's (Aunt Juana's), the name came out Tijuana's, the Mexican border town. "Back in the day we didn't have a lot of computers or ways to make this kind of thing easier. They spelled it and printed it wrong. It just stuck… I had everything already printed. "I've never even been there," owner Marisa Garcia says, laughing. "But the customers seem to like it." And how. Garcia, a stay-at-home mom of two young children when she opened the misnamed establishment 20 years ago, is now up to three locations, including the re-opening last week in the original site at 18950 Ford Road, near Southfield and Evergreen. Garcia closed the location six years ago and moved to Lincoln Park. She later opened an express takeout version in Southgate. "The customers that followed us kept asking us to come back," Garcia says. In the meantime the old location and original home was taken over by a new tenant. The owner renovated. The space was bigger, the parking was better and finally Garcia could tell her customers that she was coming back. With her would come the fresh made salsas, handmade tamales and tortillas and sauces. And room for more customers, 120-130. The restaurant also has a bar and a liquor license pending. The new, old location opened April 26th and led to 10 full-time jobs, says Garcia, who runs the restaurants with her husband, son, daughter and son-in-law. Source: Marisa Garcia, owner, Tijuana's Mexican restaurant. Writer: Kim North Shine

Bizarre Foods celebrates Metro Detroit eats

By Newsroom

●

Arts and Culture

●

March 8, 2012

Andrew Zimmern landed in Detroit for a recent episode of the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods. From soul kitchens to a Ramadan meal in Dearborn he sings our culinary praises. Watch the "Top Five" video here. Want to see the entire episode? Click here.

Fuller picture for a Dearborn ArtSpace taking shape

By Newsroom

●

Arts and Culture

●

February 23, 2012

A residential and work community for artists is moving forward with a decision by the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority to sign a contract with Artspace. Artspace is a national nonprofit that helps facilitate artists' communities. The EDDDA contract begins the next phase of the project: predevelopment services, the first of three phases which will take about two years to complete. The first phase is to identify the location and size of the Artspace. The EDDDA presented Artspace 24 potential project location sites throughout Dearborn and the two organizations have now narrowed them down to 10, says Melissa Kania, executive assistant of the EDDDA. Beyond that the funding, fundraising and architectural plans and other pre-construction plans must be made - all of it about three years away, Kania says. ArtSpace is a Minneapolis nonprofit that assists communities in setting up spaces where artists and aspiring artists can live, work, sell and learn. It works with the city in going through the steps to see it through to fruition. About $350,0000 of the $750,000 needed for pre-development serves has been raised. The project has received two grants; $150,000 from the Ford Foundation and another $150,000 from the Kresge Foundation. The community interest is there, according to a series of surveys and studies that have been completed, and the funding through donations, grants and possibly loans is being lined up with several grant applications that have recently been submitted, including to the National Endowment for the Arts. The project is being watched by other communities as it is the first of its kind in Michigan. "Coupled with Dearborn’s intention to replenish and rejuvenate its downtowns through bringing housing and the arts and economic development objectives together and to bring affordable live/work space for artists," Kania says, "we’re confident we can achieve the necessary funding to complete this project," Kania says. Source: Melissa Kania, executive assistant, East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority Writer: Kim North Shine

Regional mass transit effort expands to include all of Woodward Ave.

By Newsroom

●

Arts and Culture

●

February 9, 2012

An effort to further study and coordinate mass transit options for the Woodward Avenue corridor from Detroit to Birmingham has expanded to include all of Woodward from the Detroit River to Pontiac. Originally, the four-month-old group effort that includes the Oakland County Woodward-area suburbs of Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Berkley and Birmingham focused on extending a mass transit line that would end at Woodward and 8 Mile to Birmingham. But a $2 million federal transportation grant, a change in design of the Woodward light rail line in Detroit, as well as a push by state and federal officials to create a truly regional rapid mass transit system for southeast Michigan broadened the focus area to include the entire 27-mile stretch of Woodward. The Michigan Suburbs Alliance, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and the Woodward Avenue Action Association are working with the original steering committee and inviting all other communities along the route to join in. There will also be opportunity for public input as the planning process moves along. The grant comes from the Federal Transportation Administration and pays for what's known as an Alternative Analysis, a required part of any mass transit development. It comes after the state legislature passed a bill to create an RTA, a Regional Transportation Authority that would cover Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties and coordinate local bus systems and oversee creation of a rapid transit network. SEMCOG will manage the grant and work to ensure that any plans to come out of the broader effort coordinate with all other work underway in the region. The larger focus comes as mass transit planners and proponents in Detroit have changed plans for a Woodward light rail line to a downtown circulator system. Heather Carmona, executive director of the Woodward Avenue Action Association, says the effort goes beyond transit. “We’re working with the cities to make Woodward work for everyone who travels along it, and at connecting all transportation modes to economic development opportunities.” Richard Murphy, transportation director at the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, says in a statement announcing the new, broader approach: “Detroit and the Oakland County suburbs recognize that better transit on Woodward will spur economic development both north and south of Eight Mile—but they need a regional transit authority to build and run the system. Governor (Rick) Snyder has proposed that the RTA work towards a rapid transit network including Woodward Avenue, and this alternatives analysis will let them move quickly towards that goal." Source: Carmine Palombo, director of transportation planning, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and Lori Elia Miller, marketing and communications manager, Woodward Avenue Action Association Writer: Kim North Shine

Dearborn Gets Brightly Twisted

By Natalie Burg

●

General

●

February 9, 2012

Quick, what's a product that's made in Dearborn, sold all across the U.S. and born from Michigan entrepreneurial spirit? Oh, and it has nothing to do with the auto industry. The answer is: scarves. But not only scarves. Dearborn's Brightly Twisted is a fast growing fashion company that's got plans as bold as its colors.

Looking for stylish Islamic wear in Metro Detroit?

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

January 12, 2012

Metro Detroit is no stranger to clothing stores that cater to our ever-growing Muslim American population. It was only a matter of time before high end boutiques like Hija.Bee of Dearborn Heights came along. Excerpt: "Hija.Bee has professional makeup artists and scarf designers. Makeup is only $10 for eyes, and $20 for a whole face — compared to salons that charge up to $75 for makeup. Scarf designers have made astonishing pieces for brides on their wedding day since opening March 2011. Hija.Bee does alterations and gift baskets too. In less than a year of being open the store has received international attention with orders being placed from various states, and countries such as Canada and Palestine. The two admit word of mouth has been good to them." Read the rest here.

How metro Detroit municipalities tried to create the downtown experience

By Newsroom

●

Arts and Culture

●

December 22, 2011

The word downtown was tossed around a lot in 2011. Everybody has one or is working on creating one as they pursue the newfound love of things urban. Downtown Development Authorities, Chambers of Commerce, Main Street programs had Main Streets - and their equivalents - throughout metro Detroit putting money into makeovers and facelifts in 2011 as city leaders saw promise in creating places that preserve history, have varied businesses and invite walking, biking, strolling. The changes were big and small. Together should convey: You want to come here. Decorative, energy-efficient street lights, attractive, theme-appropriate benches, trash-receptacles, pedestrian-safe sidewalks and crosswalks, art installations, benches, historic preservation projects, special events, facade grants, kiosks to direct visitors, even phone apps to get them around town - all wrapped in business recruitment and PR. Cities with the most real downtowns: Rochester, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Mount Clemens, Dearborn, Plymouth, Northville. The up-and-comers: Auburn Hills, Clarkston, Berkley, Novi, Wyandotte. Downtown Rochester $1 million streetscape re-do is on http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0818rochesterredo0221.aspx Downtown Lake Orion gets $2 million streetscape, new microbrewery http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0922lakeorion0225.aspx Mount Clemens invests more than $250K in way-finding signs http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0915wayfinders0224.aspx Wyandotte DDA's business improvement grants paying off http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0526plymouthnightlife0211.aspx Nightlife builds in downtown Plymouth http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0526plymouthnightlife0211.aspx Ice rink cometh to Auburn Hills heating up plans for downtown http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/icerink0192.aspx Graduate housing, downtown parking and retail complex coming to Auburn Hills http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/1201ahhousing0234.aspx Main Street Oakland recognizes top downtown projects http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0310mainstreetoakawards0200.aspx downtowns. The word downtown was tossed around a lot in 2011. Everybody has one or is working on creating one as they pursue the newfound love of things urban. Downtown Development Authorities, chambers of commerce, Main Street programs has Main Streets - and their equivalents - throughout metro Detroit put money into makeovers and facelifts in 2011 as city leaders saw promise in creating places that preserve history, have varied businesses and invite walking, biking, strolling. Cities with the most real downtowns: Rochester, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Mount Clemens, Dearborn, Plymouth, Northville. The up-and-comers: Auburn Hills, Clarkston, Berkley, Novi, Wyandotte. Downtown Rochester $1 million streetscape re-do is on http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0818rochesterredo0221.aspx Downtown Lake Orion gets $2 milion streetscape, new microbrewery http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0922lakeorion0225.aspx Mount Clemens invests more than $250K in way-finding signs http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0915wayfinders0224.aspx Wyandotte DDA's business improvement grants paying off http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0526plymouthnightlife0211.aspx Nightlife builds in downtown Plymouth http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0526plymouthnightlife0211.aspx Ice rink cometh to Auburn Hills heating up plans for downtown http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/icerink0192.aspx Graduate housing, downtown parking and retail complex coming to Auburn Hills http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/1201ahhousing0234.aspx Main Street Oakland recognizes top downtown projects http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0310mainstreetoakawards0200.aspx By Kim North Shine