City presents South Side Creekways plan connecting Plaster and Silver creeks

Karen Henriquez, project manager for the Grand Rapids parks department, presented the city’s South Side Creekways planning project, describing a multi-department effort to study trails, creek daylighting and supportive land use in neighborhoods along Plaster Creek and Silver Creek.

The project team will evaluate separate and connected approaches for the Silver Creek and Plaster Creek corridors, Henriquez said, with goals that include trail connectivity to downtown, economic strategy to support local businesses, water quality and green infrastructure work, arts and culture integration, and land-use alignment for resident and business needs.

“At the core we are really looking at both the Silver Creek Corridor as well as the Plaster Creek Corridor, how they operate separately and how they operate together to create a connected system that’s gonna improve the quality of life for the residents and for the businesses as well,” Henriquez said.

Henriquez said the project team includes city departments (parks, planning, environmental quality, zoning and others), the SmithGroup consultant team and Sidewalk Detroit as the community engagement partner. Sidewalk Detroit also recruited a community leadership team of residents and business representatives to lead neighborhood conversations.

The presentation described project geography and existing conditions. The Plaster Creek trail currently begins at the Ken O’Shea trailhead and runs to Plaster Creek Family Park, with a gap at the 131 corridor and rail yards the city is examining ways to bridge. Silver Creek is largely culverted—“about 98% of it is underground in a culvert,” Henriquez said—and daylights only in a few locations, including near the Adams Street Apartments in Boston Square. The creeks meet at a confluence that flows to the Grand River; planners are looking at connections to Roosevelt Park, the Oxford Trail and the broader greenway and riverfront network.

Staff said the project is in a discovery phase of community engagement and data collection. The schedule posted in the presentation calls for Phase 2 to begin in September to produce potential alternatives for trail alignments, daylighting and economic development opportunities, public walk-and-talk events in early October and draft recommendations next summer with final work by 2026. Henriquez said the effort is tied to a $1,500,000 allocation of city ARPA funding.

Commission discussion focused on how the trail plan aligns with other infrastructure and private investment efforts in neighborhoods including Seymour Square, Boston Square, Burton and areas along Eastern Avenue and MLK. One commissioner said staff are scheduling a meeting with economic development and partner organizations to coordinate trail planning with private investment and street infrastructure improvements.

A commissioner noted a potential conflict of interest and said they might need to recuse from future votes because they own property in the project area.

Henriquez closed the presentation and invited questions from the commission.