More Good News for new Dearborn Train Station
A ground-level rendering of Dearborn's new train station. Construction is set to being in spring 2012.
The city of Troy turned down $8.5 million in federal grant money for a new train station but Dearborn continues to move forward with its plans for one, recently receiving a free grant for help to make its station more environmentally friendly.
Dearborn is one of just eight communities in America that will receive free neighborhood design consultation in 2012 from Global Green USA with the help of a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program.
The grant winners were announced last week.
The grant focuses attention on the new intermodal train station to be built in west Dearborn, and the surrounding neighborhoods that will be part of a transit oriented development (TOD) plan.
The grant pays for sustainability experts to make recommendations to the City of Dearborn on how to integrate environmentally-friendly and energy efficient concepts into the TOD.
The new train station itself will be built according to national recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standards.
Over the next six months, four sustainability experts will conduct three-day visits to Dearborn and the other seven communities. A specific timeframe has not yet been set.
As for the city of Troy, Mayor Janice Daniels can say “there is nothing free about government money” but you can’t help but wonder if there is something more behind her stand against taking the federal dollars. Remember, this is the same Mayor Daniels who posted a message to her Facebook page last June, after New York State approved same-sex marriage, stating, “I think I am going to throw away my I Love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married there.”
Construction for the new train station in Dearborn is expected to start in the spring of 2012.
The train station, to be built on Michigan Avenue west of Southfield Freeway, will be the center of a TOD District that includes a historic neighborhood, business districts and Fairlane Town Center, the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Henry Ford Community College, The Henry Ford: America’s Greatest History Attraction, major thoroughfares and Ford Motor Company headquarters and facilities.
Other criteria for the grant included the presence of a strong neighborhood organization, the involvement of community leaders, the demonstration that the project contributes to a larger plan, and the ability to leverage federal, state or philanthropic funds.
“The City of Dearborn is excited and ready to work closely with Global Green USA through this program,” said Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. “This is a timely opportunity for us to leverage the latest planning tools and concepts of LEED-Neighborhood Development for improving physical design and policies to develop strategies for our ultimate goal of a sustainable future.”
Walker Wells, director of Global Green USA’s Green Urbanism Program, said, “Cities are responsible for up to 70 percent of global warming pollution, but they can also be the laboratories for climate-friendly solutions that save money, improve health and quality of life. For nearly two decades, Global Green has been helping cities create sustainable plans for the future. We are excited to be able to bring our expertise to these eight deserving communities.”
The other communities are Lafayette, Indiana; Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Greensboro, North Carolina; Lakewood, Colorado; Oakland, California; Louisville, Kentucky; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:24 am
Can we put Mark Summers on the first train out of town? Two million$$ in verdicts about to go on our property tax bill? One more trial coming up?
Taxpayers should take up a collection to buy him a ticket since he can’t afford it.
Take a ride on the fleece train!
December 27th, 2011 at 9:56 am
Yeah! and it will be in walking distance of west dearborn. that, is my opinion, is the problem with the old train station – people can’t see where they can walk to from there. At least this one will be close to Westborn and Andiamo’s
December 27th, 2011 at 10:46 am
do you think we can construct this building with more of an historic feel to it please? Lets try a new twist and go historic.
December 27th, 2011 at 10:59 am
Troy’s mayor being so politically savvy makes me think whatever she turns down just might be something to look into.
December 27th, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Could someone please tell me what this new train station is going to do for Dearborn????
December 27th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
It absolutely amazes me how much time and money is sucked up in studies before the first shovel of dirt is turned over. Enough is enough, actually use most of the money to build the darn thing, not having everyone take a cut of the pie to produce piles of paer no one will really look at . We need to start producing in this country, not studing it to death.
December 27th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
What’s so environmentally friendly about building a new train station when you already have one? Seems that money would be better spent developing a high speed rail corridor that people would actually want to ride on. With the cost of airfare rising, high speed rail could be a viable alternative. But this seems like putting the cart before the horse. Am I missing something?
December 27th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Socrates you are the man. Send Somers out of town with our money as well as the rest of the garbage, that way the residents will endup winning in one way.
December 27th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
We can put Bluto on a one way train out of here too. He’s been riding the “gravy train” for too long.
December 28th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
If you find the missing pieces would you let us know because I think there are a lot of us missing something.
December 30th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
Stop spending our money foolishly, and use it instead to pay off the lawsuits SOMERS got us involved in.
December 31st, 2011 at 10:46 am
Exactly nothing, except a photo shoot for Bluto and his rat pack in our local papers. Just like everything in our City it will go to the dogs.
December 31st, 2011 at 3:54 pm
This is not on the train station….but has anyone seen how cute Allen Park is becoming? Clean, quaint, shops and storefronts. Love it!
Now, for the train station, maybe they can put another bar in it.
we could us another bar, we just dont have enough.
January 1st, 2012 at 7:43 am
george – you have my vote!
January 1st, 2012 at 1:24 pm
To be one out of eight communities in the entire U.S. chosen for this is an honor and we should be proud of it.
It could potentially be a great development for our city if city officials do it right. I hope there is enough FREE parking. Link up the transit center with walkways to The Henry Ford, the colleges, the Ford Community Arts Center and the library.
For this to truly be part of a regional transit system, though, other communities have to build them too. It’s unfortunate that Troy has backed out, which has angered many members of the business community there.
For example:
Frank W. Ervin III, the manager of government affairs for Magna International Inc., said it’s disappointing that Troy’s legislators are “narrow-minded when it comes to the future of Troy and the future of Southeastern Michigan.” He plans to draft a memo to all Magna group presidents and corporate executives “strongly recommending that Magna International no longer consider the City of Troy for future site considerations, expansions or new job creation.”
He added that he’ll also recommend “that wherever and whenever possible we reduce our footprint and employment level in Troy in favor of communities who act in the best interest of both the residents and business and not simply use their public position to advance their own private agenda.”
I got this quote from detroittransit.org.
January 8th, 2012 at 10:37 am
“What’s so environmentally friendly about building a new train station when you already have one?”
Once the new train station is built, they will be repurposing the old station as a cigar bar or possibly a hookah lounge.
January 11th, 2012 at 2:51 pm
I have to agree with you and Donna. I thought they were just going to make our old station pretty. The old one works, doesn’t it? Why can’t you just modernize it (there’s certainly enough room for that AND parking) and spend the rest on high speed rail. Our country needs that with the airlines charging more and more. Of course, we’re not politicians. We’d spend the money where we really need it. They spend the money to make themselves look good. Lord. I’m SO TIRED of politicians.
January 11th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
After New York State approved same-sex marriage, Troy’s Mayor Daniels stated, “I think I am going to throw away my “I Love New York” carrying bag now that queers can get married there.” Wow! Those kinds of statements make me question if she even knows the meaning of “savvy politican.”
January 19th, 2012 at 10:25 pm
It’s going to cost the tax payers lots of money in upkeep. The city is getting money from the Federal government for construction but the maintenance fall upon the taxpayers. Utilities, snowplowing, cleaning, repairs, security, etc.