Chevy Commons

Last updated

Chevy Commons
Chevy Commons December 2018 06.jpg
Chevy Commons in 2018
Chevy CommonsOpenStreetMap.png
Map of Chevy Commons
Type Public park
Location Flag of Michigan.svg Flint, Michigan
Coordinates 43°00′44″N83°42′17″W / 43.012222°N 83.704722°W / 43.012222; -83.704722
Area60 acres (24 ha)
Created2018
Operated byGenesee County Parks and Recreation Commission
StatusOpen all year
Website geneseecountyparks.org

Chevy Commons is a park along the Flint River between Kettering University and downtown Flint, Michigan. Formerly the site of a Chevrolet factory widely known as "Chevy in the Hole", it has been redeveloped and revitalized since 2015 as event space and recreational areas with restored grasslands, meadows, wetlands, and woodlands. It also features green spaces, low-maintenance native plants, and walking trails. In total, the creation of Chevy Commons is expected to cost approximately $17.3 million, and it is part of a broader, $36.8-million project to change the landscape of the Flint River in Downtown Flint. The state of Michigan has committed to developing the site as a state park.

Contents

History

Between downtown and Kettering University along the Flint River in Flint, Michigan, [1] what is now Chevy Commons was the site of a sawmill and a paper mill before becoming the home of Flint Wagon Works in the 1880s. [2] It is better known as the site of a former Chevrolet factory called Chevrolet Flint Manufacturing but widely known as "Chevy in the Hole". [3] [4] Automotive manufacturing at the factory began in 1904, and it employed 14,000 workers at its zenith. [2] [5] It was also the location of the Flint sit-down strike. [4] The last buildings on the site were demolished in 2004 by automotive parts supplier Delphi, leaving it as a brownfield. [2] [5] [6] For numerous years before the idea of Chevy Commons took form in 2014, blight elimination at Chevy in the Hole was considered. [1]

Redevelopment

Senator Debbie Stabenow speaking at the Chevy Commons groundbreaking on April 17, 2015 Speaking at groundbreaking for Chevy Commons Community green space in Flint. (17057806178).jpg
Senator Debbie Stabenow speaking at the Chevy Commons groundbreaking on April 17, 2015

In 2014, Mayor Dayne Walling announced two separate grants (of $1.6 million and $1.9 million, respectively) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop city-owned Chevy in the Hole into a park. [2] [5] [7] Genesee County Historical Society president Dave White noted this represents the first time in almost 200 years that the site is not being used for manufacturing or commercial purposes. [2] According to Walling, Chevy Commons was conceived to provide event space and recreational areas as well as recognize the site's automotive and Native American history. [2] He conceived it as "an interesting, natural space right in the heart of the city". [2]

Christina Kelly, of the Genesee County Land Bank, noted that the project was dependent on federal funds, and that redevelopment of the site planned to focus on capping the ground and building up soil on top of it instead of concentrating primarily on decontamination. [6] Prior to the first EPA grant, however, thousands of trees had been planted on the site to help decontaminate it naturally. [1]

The city and Land Bank conceive of Chevy Commons as a "destination park". [8] On April 10, 2014, approximately 70 people expressed strong support for the project at a public meeting. [7] While the plans for Chevy Commons are outlined in the city's master plan, they also interface with Kettering's master plan, as well as its redevelopment of Atwood Stadium. [1]

Chevy Commons in 2018 Chevy Commons December 2018 01.jpg
Chevy Commons in 2018

In March 2015, the 60-acre (24 ha) site began a redevelopment and revitalization process that ultimately transformed it into a park, starting with the removal of wire fencing and work on sewer lines. [4] [9] On April 17, the city officially celebrated the start of work on Chevy Commons with a groundbreaking ceremony. [10] The former brownfield was redeveloped into restored grasslands, meadows, and woodlands while walking trails were created on the site. [11] Its design features green spaces, low-maintenance native plants, and wetlands that are intended to control the cost of stormwater management. [7]

The site is being redeveloped in phases, starting with the first phase: planting shrubs, building walking paths, and creating car parking on the southwestern end of the site. [2] The second phase concentrated on connecting the site to county and regional trails, enhancing views of the Flint River, and improving access for fishing. [8] By 2015, millions of dollars had been spent on cleaning up industrial waste on the site, and the next phase of the project commenced: covering the concrete slabs of the site with 2 feet (0.61 m) to 10 feet (3.0 m) of topsoil, a total of 50,000 yards (46,000 m). Folliowing this, grass and trees were planted, and walking trails created. [12] By June 2015, the first phase of construction of Chevy Commons was well underway. By "fortunate coincidence", it also became the trailhead for the Genesee Valley Trail that was constructed to connect it with Flint Township. [13] Also that month, Chevy Commons entered phase two of its construction, as work on building the green cap continued. [3]

On September 24, 2016, Chevy Commons hosted its first event as a finished park: a children's biking event called Cycling Circles. [14] In May 2017, a pedestrian bridge linking Chevy Commons with Carriage Town and connecting two already-existing segments of the statewide Iron Belle Trail was planned. By that point, both the first and second phases of the project had been completed, with additional third and fourth phases planned as part of the broader Riverfront Restoration Project, which endeavors to naturalize the Flint River and make it more accessible, safer, and easier to use for recreation. The third phase concerns 9 acres (3.6 ha) of land along Kearsley Street (between Swartz Creek and Stevenson Street) and was expected to be completed by the end of 2017; the fourth phase deals with greening the area along the river on both sides of Stevenson Street in 2018. In total, the creation of Chevy Commons is expected to cost approximately $17.3 million. [15]

By July 2018, the third phase was complete, and the first three phases were open to the public. At that time, the fourth phase was expected to be complete by October 2018, at which point leftover funds and a $315,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will be used to start work on the fifth and final phase. The fifth phase will feature additional walking trails, a parking lot, and possibly also a sledding hill. [16]

In 2021, the state announced plans to develop the site as the county's first state park. [17] [18] [19]

Chevy Commons is part of a broader, $36.8-million project to change the landscape of the Flint River in Downtown Flint that also includes removing the Hamilton Dam, greening Riverbank Park, and naturalizing the river by softening it with native plants and rocks. Led by Genesee County Parks and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the project began in summer 2017 and is tentatively expected to be complete by 2019. [20] An additional 20-acre (8.1 ha) brownfield that was previously part of Chevy in the Hole is being redeveloped into automotive proving grounds, including for autonomous vehicles, by Kettering University and General Motors. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flint, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, 66 miles (106 km) northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 81,252, making it the twelfth largest city in Michigan. The Flint metropolitan area is located entirely within Genesee County. It is the fourth largest metropolitan area in Michigan with a population of 406,892 in 2020. The city was incorporated in 1855.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesee County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Genesee County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 406,211, making it the fifth-most populous county in Michigan. The county seat and population center is Flint. Genesee County is considered to be a part of the greater Mid Michigan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flushing, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Flushing is a city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States. The population was 8,411 at the 2020 census. Flushing is considered a suburb of Flint. It is situated within the survey area of Flushing Charter Township, but is administratively autonomous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swartz Creek, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Swartz Creek is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,897 at the 2020 census. The city is a suburb of Flint and has incorporated land formerly within Flint Charter Township, Gaines Township, and Clayton Township, but is administratively autonomous from all three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kettering University</span> Private university in Flint, Michigan, United States

Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers bachelor of science and master’s degrees in STEM and business fields. Kettering University undergraduate students are required to complete at least five co-op terms to graduate. Students gain paid work experience in a variety of industries with Kettering's more than 550 corporate partners, and graduate with professional experiences accompanying their degree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atwood Stadium</span> Stadium in the United States

Atwood Stadium is an 11,000-seat stadium owned by Kettering University. It's located in the historic Carriage Town district area of downtown Flint, Michigan. In 2019 it became the home field for the Flint City Bucks, a soccer club that competes in USL League Two, as well as Powers Catholic High School. The annual Vehicle City Gridiron Classic also opens the high school football season at Atwood Stadium, with six to eight teams competing each season. The Flint Institute of Music hosts an annual Independence Day concert in the stadium, which is coordinated with Flint's fireworks display, which is launched from the Chevy Commons park, located to the south immediately across the Flint River from the stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flint River (Michigan)</span> River in central Michigan, United States

The Flint River is a 78.3-mile-long (126.0 km) river in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan in the United States. The river's headwaters are in Columbiaville in Lapeer County and flows through the counties of Lapeer, Genesee, and Saginaw. The cities of Lapeer, Flint, Flushing, and Montrose are along its course.

Flint Engine Operations is a General Motors automobile engine factory in Flint, Michigan. The plant opened in 2002 and is named to replace the Flint North engine plant. The plant currently produces the small four-cylinder SGE and Duramax I6 engines. The factory receives cast engine blocks from Defiance Foundry in Defiance, Ohio and Saginaw Metal Casting Operations in Saginaw, Michigan. It replaced Flint North.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flint Cultural Center</span> Campus in Michigan, USA

The Flint Cultural Center (FCC) is a campus of cultural, scientific, and artistic institutes located in Flint, Michigan, United States. The institutions located on the grounds of the FCC are the Flint Institute of Arts, Flint Institute of Music, Sloan Museum, Flint Public Library, Buick Gallery & Research Center, Robert T. Longway Planetarium, The Whiting, and the Bower Theatre. The campus and some institutions are owned by Flint Cultural Center Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive industry in Flint, Michigan</span>

Flint, Michigan is a city which previously relied on its automotive industry, and still does to an extent. Over the past several decades, General Motors plants in Genesee County have experienced re-namings, management shifts, openings, closures, reopenings, and spinoffs.

The Crim Festival of Races is an annual road running event with several races and walking events. The original distance was 10 miles and is the marque race as "The Crim" with its infamous Bradley Hills and blue line to keep runners on course. The Crim has been held in August in Flint, Michigan since 1977. It draws runners from around the world from countries such as Kenya, Russia, and Ukraine. The race attracts approximately 50,000 people each year. The festival is one of the Flint Parade of Festivals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dayne Walling</span> American politician

Dayne Walling is an American politician who was the mayor of Flint, Michigan from 2009 to 2015. Although the Flint mayor's office is a nonpartisan position, Walling is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass Transportation Authority (Flint)</span> Public transit operator serving Flint, Michigan

The Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) is the public transit operator serving Flint, Michigan and surrounding Genesee County. It also owns and operates the inter-modal Flint station, which also serves Amtrak and Indian Trails.

Patricia A. Lockwood is an American politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summerset at Frick Park</span> Sub-neighborhood in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States

Summerset at Frick Park is a residential development located in the Squirrel Hill and Swisshelm Park neighborhoods within the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. This project is one of the nation's first brownfield sites to be remediated for residential purposes. The $250 million public-project began in 1997 and is the City of Pittsburgh's largest residential development since World War II. At completion, Summerset at Frick Park will have over 700 residences and its annual property tax revenue is anticipated to be in the range of $5.7 million to $6.3 million.

Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) is a municipal corporation responsible for distributing water services in the Mid-Michigan and Thumb areas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Members of the authority are the cities of Flint and Lapeer, and the counties of Genesee, Lapeer and Sanilac. Karegnondi is a word from the Petan Indian language meaning "lake" and another early name for Lake Huron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flint water crisis</span> Contamination by lead of water supply in Flint, Michigan

The Flint water crisis was a public health crisis that started in 2014 after the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan was contaminated with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria. In April 2014, during a financial crisis, state-appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley changed Flint's water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River. Residents complained about the taste, smell, and appearance of the water. Officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors to the water, which resulted in lead from aging pipes leaching into the water supply, exposing around 100,000 residents to elevated lead levels. A pair of scientific studies confirmed that lead contamination was present in the water supply. The city switched back to the Detroit water system on October 16, 2015. It later signed a 30-year contract with the new Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) on November 22, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesee County Savings Bank</span> United States historic place

The Genesee County Savings Bank is an office building located at 352 South Saginaw Street in Flint, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheldon Neeley</span> American politician

Sheldon A. Neeley is an American politician, currently serving as the Mayor of Flint, Michigan. He was elected as Flint’s mayor in 2019 and served an abbreviated three-year term before being re-elected in 2022. Neeley is a registered Democrat and a former state representative in Michigan's 34th House district. He served two complete terms and one partial term in the Michigan House of Representatives between 2015 and 2019. He resigned from his position in the House when he was elected as the Mayor of Flint in 2019. Neeley's wife, Cynthia, was elected to his former seat on March 10, 2020. Neeley served two complete terms and one partial term on the Flint City Council between 2005 and 2014, prior to his tenure as Michigan Representative and was the Council's first African-American member to have come from Flint's Sixth Ward.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Schuch, Sarah (February 14, 2015). "Chevy Commons project expected to pick up steam this spring". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Atkinson, Scott (April 10, 2014). "Wasteland of Flint's Chevy in the Hole will become walkable green space starting this summer". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Fonger, Ron (June 25, 2015). "Chevy Commons project moves into second phase". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "What you need to know about Chevy Commons". Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce. August 3, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 "$1.9-million grant to transform old Flint GM plant". Detroit Free Press . September 29, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Carmody, Steve (April 13, 2014). "Turning a brownfield into a green space in Flint". Michigan Radio . Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 Young, Molly (April 10, 2014). "Public shows overwhelming support for Chevy in the Hole project plans". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Fonger, Ron (September 26, 2014). "Flint gets $1.9 million more to transform Chevy in the Hole eyesore into massive public park". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  9. ↑ Schuch, Sarah (March 27, 2015). "Transformation of Chevy in the Hole into urban park called Chevy Commons begins". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  10. ↑ Schuch, Sarah (April 17, 2015). "From wasteland to green space, transformation of Chevy Commons begins". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Zimmerman, Eilene (July 20, 2016). "The Many Faces of Innovation in U.S. Cities". The New York Times . Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  12. ↑ Carmody, Steve (April 18, 2015). "A new beginning at Flint's Chevy in the Hole". Michigan Radio . Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  13. ↑ Acosta, Roberto (June 15, 2015). "Connecting communities is at the heart of growing Genesee County trail system". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  14. ↑ Johnson, Jiquanda (September 24, 2016). "Organizers introduce former GM industrial site to community as new park". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  15. ↑ Young, Molly (May 9, 2017). "Pedestrian bridge over Flint River to connect Chevy Commons to Carriage Town". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  16. ↑ "MDEQ Grant to take Flint's Chevy Commons redevelopment to the finish line". WJRT-TV. July 23, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  17. ↑ "$26M plan bringing Genesee County's first state park to Chevy Commons". mlive. July 14, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Michigan's newest state park will be in arm's reach of vibrant, popular downtown scene". mlive. March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  19. ↑ Fonger, Ron (2023). "Flint's new state park will feature signature play garden, designer about to be chosen". mlive. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  20. ↑ Young, Molly (May 10, 2017). "Downtown Flint River landscape to change as part of $36.8M project". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.