Community Profiles

The Bloody Run Creek Greenway Redevelopment Project’s goal is to create a major ecological public landscape and transformative destination for the City of Detroit through daylighting the long-buried Bloody Run Creek. Located east of Detroit’s Central Business District and Midtown, the 3,500 acre site is connected to major assets and districts through its interstate and non-motorized linkages, and has future connectivity to the Woodward Light Rail System. Bloody Run Creek Redevelopment Project is a ten-year, five-phase, $1 billion effort transform Detroit’s Near East Side.

Formerly a community of dense housing and industrial job centers, Detroit’s Near East Side today is one of the most vacant regions of the city. Despite its loss of population and industry, the area is still home to the rich cultural, natural, and community assets of Eastern Market, the Dequindre Cut, and the Riverfront as well as strong neighborhoods such as Lafayette Park, McDougall-Hunt, and Farnsworth.

Led by McCormack Baron Salazar as consultants, a watershed-wide master planning effort was undertaken to demonstrate the value and impact that the daylighting of the Bloody Run Creek. By uncovering Bloody Run Creek, Detroit can reduce the strain on its sewer system through a reduction in runoff collection and transport to the City of Detroit Wastewater Treatment Plant by 3 billion gallons per year. Further, the Greenway can play an important role in Detroit’s redevelopment strategy by serving as a catalyst for economic and physical development. The transformation of Bloody Run Creek will enrich the lives of all who visit and use the greenway, as well as enhance the attractiveness of Detroit for businesses, families, and individuals.