The Mack Avenue Corridor Improvement Plan is an ongoing, multi-jurisdictional planning process to improve the Mack Avenue Corridor throughout the cities of Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Park, and Grosse Pointe Farms. Subject to a decades-long decline from its status as a vital commercial corridor on Detroit’s east side, Mack Avenue had fallen into a disjointed state. Issues of vacancies, lack of streetscaping, poor consistency in built form, the dominance of large auto-related uses, and parking availability contribute to the sense of “placelessness” for the corridor. Broken into two phases, the first phase of the Improvement Plan studied the segment of Mack Avenue between Conner Avenue and Neff Road, focusing on physical improvements for specific properties. The second phase of the Improvement Plan studied the segment of Mack Avenue between Cadiuex Road and Fisher Road, continuing to build from Phase 1 but emphasizing the process of implementing the plan’s proposed recommendations.

McKenna conducted an in-depth analysis of existing conditions and a robust public engagement effort to develop a shared vision, identify the types of physical improvements desired, and determine the necessary tools for effective implementation across municipal boundaries. Those tools included a set of zoning standards, design guidelines, development procedures, and funding priorities for each municipality to adopt.

The Mack Avenue Plan recommends adopting an updated and unifying zoning code throughout the entirety of Mack Avenue. These recommendations encompass modernizing base zoning, an overlay addition, streamlining approval processes, flexibility on parking standards, encouragement of green design, and unification of sign standards. Permitting higher-density, mixed-use development as of right will encourage a wide range of commercial uses throughout the corridor, contributing to the development of a vital corridor for years to come.

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