Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Riverfront Park topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultants unveil updated Riverfront Park plan; community meeting set for tomorrow
Summary
Design team Scape presented an updated concept for Saginaw’s Riverfront Park — featuring expanded waterfront access, a central lawn, boardwalk and fishing pier — and encouraged resident input at a community meeting scheduled for noon the following day in Council Chambers.
City consultants for the Riverfront Park presented updated schematic designs to the Saginaw City Council, highlighting increased waterfront access, more seating, educational play elements and flexible spaces for events.
The design team said outreach between mid‑October and November produced 235 survey responses and multiple public engagement events; top requests from respondents included walking and bike paths, public art, playgrounds and seating. The draft plan shown to council includes a widened Iron Bell Trail, a central lawn for events, expanded seating and a fishing pier with boat access.
The council and public were told the project team has completed roughly half of design development and expects to deliver construction documents later in 2025. The team and the manager emphasized that the community meeting scheduled for noon the next day in Council Chambers is “the last really opportunity in the design process” for the public to influence the plan before documents go to bid.
Council members focused questions on parking and adjacent property issues. Council member Boss noted the apparent parking arrangement at the north side of the park and asked whether the lot seen in the drawings was already in place; designers and the city manager said that lot is city‑owned but currently leased to AT&T. City staff said they are negotiating shared parking arrangements with AT&T and that other public lots downtown would help meet demand for park users.
Several council members raised pedestrian safety on M‑13 and asked about coordination with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). Staff said MDOT has been more open than in the past to traffic‑calming and corridor changes on the stretch of M‑13 adjacent to downtown; any changes would require MDOT approval and likely external funding.
Key features shown in the schematic: a central lawn for events, waterfront boardwalk and fishing pier, increased seating along the water’s edge, a playground with interpretive elements referencing the logging history, picnic groves and improved habitat/plantings at the water’s edge. Scape said the plan also anticipates connections to nearby businesses and the Iron Bell Trail.
The city manager and consultants urged residents and stakeholders to attend the workshop and community meeting and to submit feedback through an online survey open through March 24.
Next steps: consultants will finalize design development based on community feedback, complete construction documents, and the city will coordinate bidding and MDOT negotiations as required.
Design presentation provenance: the manager introduced the Scape team and the consultant presented the plan during the meeting; the consultant and council held a Q&A about parking, MDOT coordination and schedule.
