Following two recent City Council Committee Meetings related to development on Plymouth Rd, the VRS team decided to look at the history and future plans for one of Livonia’s major thoroughfare.

The city of Livonia has long recognized the value of Plymouth Road as a strategic asset to the community; as a result of this recognized importance, the city established the Plymouth Road Development Authority. This is the sole road to receive this distinction. The group is tasked with strengthening existing commercial areas and encouraging private investment. The Plymouth Road Development Authority (PRDA) has 8 appointed members and is headed by the Mayor. https://livonia.gov/1433/Plymouth-Road-Development-Authority

The PRDA, in conjunction with the Planning Department, has spent several decades reimagining key areas of Plymouth road to attract development. In 1996, it released 5 Corridor Design Concepts for Plymouth intersections at Ann Arbor Rd, Middlebelt, Milburn, Priscilla Lane Shopping Area and Rosdale Commercial Area. https://livonia.gov/264/Concept-Cases

The city continued to reimagine Plymouth Road when, in 2018, the city’s Livonia Vision21 Master plan identified Plymouth Rd between Middlebelt and Inkster as one of 3 key planning areas. There were 7 specific recommendations for the site that focused on redefining the landscape to make it more pedestrian friendly and enhance usability/visibility for businesses. https://static1.squarespace.com/…/LV21-Book2-FINAL… (begins at pdf page 40).

Businesses have moved to Plymouth Road over the past year, taking advantage of enhanced zoning requirements passed as part of the Vision21 master plan. In the past year, Plymouth Road has seen new developments like Dairy Queen, Chick Fil-A, Biggby, and Urban Air have all been added to the corridor. In addition, several existing businesses along Plymouth have begun to redevelop their storefronts.

This year, two specific Plymouth Road related topics captured residents’ attention:

• The development of an apartment complex between Wal-Mart and LA Fitness. An apartment complex proposal was rejected by City Council at the September 26th meeting, following strong feedback from residents in the area. https://www.youtube.com/user/LivoniaTV…
• The state of Alfred Nobel Library and Sheldon Park. Noble Library was closed in 2019 due to building problems and Sheldon pool has been closed the last three seasons due to various issues. Alfred Noble Library was discussed at two recent City Council Committee meetings.
  • On October 10, the Mayor presented on the current condition of Noble to the Capital Outlay and Infrastructure Committee meeting. Her presentation included a recommendation to demolish the facility. https://livoniami.civicclerk.com/Web/Player.aspx?id=319…
  • On October 19, Planning Director Mark Taormina discussed Noble Library land development with the Economic Development, Strategyic Planning, and Technology Committeehttps://livoniami.civicclerk.com/Web/Player.aspx?id=320&key=-1&mod=-1&mk=-1&nov=0&fbclid=IwAR38zyslt9cxVw5hkIR5Av3Ld9PBVsmmurtybHuTpKEO16a9YB42TQHTzhs

As the City continues its efforts along Plymouth Road, the public will have continued opportunities to engage and VRS will share updates and information.