Former GM industrial site is slated to become a natural park along Flint River
By Sarah Schuch
The Flint Journal
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The transformation of a major eyesore in Flint will begin this spring as the broken concrete of Chevy in the Hole is covered up and unwelcoming chain-link fences come down.
The former General Motors industrial site is slated to become Chevy Commons — a natural park along the Flint River that’s expected to include wetlands, woodlands, grasslands and other green areas.
The plan includes transforming a portion of the former Chevrolet manufacturing site into a public park with walking paths intertwined in low-maintenance native plants, greens and wetlands that should help minimize storm water management costs.
“The new Chevy Commons will come alive this spring,” Flint Mayor Dayne Walling told The Flint Journal. “It will be an important symbolic change for the entire Flint River corridor. And create an exciting gateway for the west side of Flint.”
The Genesee County Land Bank and city of Flint, which owns the site, came together to put a plan together for the site, which served as the backdrop for the Sit-Down Strike of 1936-37 and now holds a prominent place on the riverfront between downtown Flint and Kettering University.
For years, the property has been the focus of discussion and blight elimination plan. In April, the official plan for Chevy Commons was unveiled.
A $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency paid for a draft plan, with the majority of the money going toward the upcoming construction. Before that, thousands of trees had been planted on the site to help naturally remove contaminants from the area.
This spring will start the major look of the landscape, Walling said.
“(The Genesee County Land Bank has) secured a general contractor who will begin visible work this spring. So the site will be very busy this spring, summer and fall,” Walling said. “The green cap will be put in place on about 15 acres of the site from Chevrolet Avenue back west toward downtown. ... Fences will come down. The entire site will be safe and accessible.”
The park-like space will be redeveloped in phases to include open grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands interlaced with trails that will link to the surrounding institutions, neighborhoods, and regional trails, according to the Chevy Commons plan posted on the Genesee County Land Bank website.
The first phase of renovations involves dumping dirt over the concrete and installing a parking area, walking paths and shrubs in about a third of the space.
“The Chevy Commons is a great link between the I-69 corridor and Kettering University and the University Avenue corridor,” Walling said.
