A “Pocket Park” in the City of Cedar Springs is one of nine projects approved for a grant by the Right Place, Inc.
The Right Place, Inc., in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced that The Right Place will receive $3.6 million in funding from the Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) Program to help spur the development of 9 placemaking projects totaling over $10 million across the region. The grant for the Cedar Springs pocket park is $212,500.
RAP is an incentive program that deployed $100 million in American Rescue Plan funding to address the COVID-19 impacts in Michigan communities.
The Cedar Springs downtown pocket park is planned for 17 N. Main, currently an empty, unbuildable lot. It was the former home of Mercantile of Yesterday. The building was torn down prior to the County Drain project.
Plans for the park include an area for outdoor picnicking, outdoor gas firepit, performance stage, a shade sail, synthetic turf, outdoor lights, flowers, and a restroom. It can be used for art displays, socializing, food truck parking, social district, pop-up retail and relaxation for public use.
Information describing the park said that “Local restaurants are eager to see more outdoor dining options but are constrained by the traditional zero-setback lots in the downtown area. This project not only activates an unutilized downtown space but provides new business opportunities for nearby restaurants.”
The grant for the park is $212,500. According to City Manager Mike Womack, the total cost of the park is about $508,000 if they do everything in the draft plans. “A likely scenario is that the City removes the bathroom that is planned for there and add that back in as a phase 2 project and simply plan for the water/sewer now,” he said. “Bathrooms are surprisingly expensive and removing the planned bathroom would reduce current expected costs about $100,000.
“But, right now, the DDA and City Council have both pledged significant funding to help make this become a reality with the assistance of this grant.”
Why are they considering synthetic turf?
“I asked for synthetic turf because I’ve seen it be successful in other communities and even though the upfront costs are higher, the long term maintenance costs are lower,” explained Womack. “Also, artificial grass looks nice neat and green all year round without needing to be cut or watered, though I admit that it will likely look a little out of place being bright green in the dead of winter.”
Will it be open in the winter?
“We haven’t determined whether the bathroom will be heated year round or whether the City will snow plow through there yet. But, otherwise, the park should remain open all year round even if not snowplowed or if the bathroom is closed. With the overhead lights, I hope that the park can be used after dark some days but we’ll have to figure out a schedule for that as well,” he said.
Why is the property considered unbuildable?
“The property is “unbuildable” because the County Storm Drain project goes right through the middle of this property and not only are the pipes very shallow under the ground, which would prevent any significant weight or footings be installed, but also because the pipe is covered by an easement held by the drain commissioner’s office, which we will need permission to build anything on top of. We believe, following discussions with the drain commissioner, that our plans will be approvable and not in contradiction to the desires of the drain commissioner’s needs,” explained Womack.
What is the projected timeline on the project?
“Project timelines are normally dictated by funding availability, which we have not heard anything about yet. My hope would be that we could complete the project in late Spring or early Summer 2023 so that the public might be able to use it throughout next year,” he said.
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