Dec. 12 for public focuses on area near new train station

Residents and business owners are invited to an interactive community forum, with refreshments and door prizes included, on Wednesday, Dec. 12 to share ideas for development near Dearborn’s Intermodal Passenger Rail Station.
The forum has the tag line: “Lend us your imagination…be part of Dearborn’s transformation.”
It will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Studio A at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center with hors d’oeuvres, followed by a presentation at 6 p.m.
Creative interactive activities will continue until 7:30 p.m. The forum is open to all with an interest in Dearborn’s future.
Coordinated by the City Plan Division and the Economic and Community Development Department, and facilitated by experts from MIPlace Partnership, the forum will ask participants to think about the look and feel of the area near the train station, now under construction on Michigan Avenue near Brady Street.
The city was just one of five in Michigan to win a competitive grant to earn MIPlace Partnership’s expertise on Placemaking.
Placemaking is based on the understanding that thriving communities are sites where productivity and creativity increase, and where collaboration and innovation are encouraged.
Using transportation hubs as a focus for placemaking projects is called Transit Oriented Development (T.O.D.), and has been successfully applied in towns around the country.
T.O.D. is not a familiar concept, but participants should not be intimated, said Barry Murray, director of the city’s Economic and Community Development Department.
“Please share your ideas about how we can build on our community’s traditions to generate a unique sense of place near the new train station,” Murray said.
Supporting the event through door prizes, food and beverages (as of Dec. 10) are: ACO Hardware, Joe Vicari’s Andiamo Italian Steakhouse, Bailey’s Pub & Grille, BD Mongolian Grill, Biggby Coffee, Buddy’s Pizza, Dearborn Fire Department, L.A. Bistro, Merle Norman, Sophia’s Giftique, Starbucks Coffee Company, The Post Bar, Pizza Pappalis and Westborn Market.