Monroe Street is one of downtown Detroit's most special places. It has maintained its status as a primary commercial street for the area for over a century and continues to attract a broad array of locals and visitors to its entertainment venues and eateries. One of several proposed streets for improvement in the district through the Greektown Neighborhood Framework Vision, the streetscape improvements of Monroe Street are essential in establishing a broad palette of experiences through the main corridor and heart of Greektown. The future of Monroe Street accommodates users of all kinds and modes and must be refocused to prioritize the thousands of pedestrians that walk it each day, supporting and complementing the many businesses along it.

The Framework conceptualized the many improvements to enhance the Monroe Street experience including strategies for including:

• Wide pedestrian-only zones for meandering
• Human-scaled and plentiful vegetation
• High density and diversity of lighting
• Signature district/street signage
• Premium paving
• Street furniture and ample seating
• Dedicated and expanded spaces for private business outdoor patios
• Dedicated spaces for events/markets/festivals
• De-emphasized separation between street and sidewalk
• Emphasized separation between sidewalk and surface parking lots
• Dedicated areas for drop-offs/pick-ups
• Multi-modal transit integration and prioritization
• Culture, heritage, and art opportunities integration

Building upon the basic concepts in the Framework, Greektown Neighborhood Partnership and stakeholders now seek to refine those concepts to form a permanent improvement and enhancement streetscape plan for the main corridor of Greektown and to create construction documents for the first phase of construction of that plan. This will position the neighborhood to secure construction funding for its implementation through grant applications and other fundraising efforts, and to implement as soon as possible. A Request for Proposal (RFP) for this scope is now open!

Greektown Neighborhood Partnership will be coordinating the project with the City of Detroit Department of Public Works and Planning and Development Department, engaging with Greektown business and property owners, and major community stakeholders and organizations including the Greektown Casino-Hotel, Downtown Detroit Partnership, Rocket Community Fund, and Bedrock.