City of Troy eyes massive changes, creation of downtown

Posted on June 27, 2017

TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) – The city of Troy is looking into what it would look like to have a true downtown area.

The largest city in Oakland County is full of retail, restaurants and businesses but it currently lacks a main hub, something they may look to change with their new Town Center plan.

According to plans drawn up by Gibbs Planning Group, the plan that the city is exploring looks to turn the current civic center campus into a central location for housing, retail and restaurants. Listening sessions are expected to be rolled out within the next few months for the public to weigh-in on options.

Plans show that the project would cost the city roughly $50 million in the short-term, but that if numbers are accurate they’d recoup that money and an additional $10 million-plus over the course of 20 years.

“We see what’s going on in Detroit down there, and how they’re building,” said Aaron Young, who owns a business with clients in Troy. “It’d be great to see that come to suburban areas, as well.”

Young said he’d welcome any move that brought more business, and potential clients to the area.

Others noted a concern about traffic, and what type of crowd a new downtown could bring to the area.

The master plan shows that private businesses would invest roughly $328 million into the Town Center project.

It won’t be as simple as rolling out property and bringing businesses, though. Existing wetlands would need to be relocated to achieve the look that is shown in initial mock-ups. Infrastructure improvements would also be needed in addition to changes to current civic center complex buildings.

The new proposed plan includes a hotel, parking garages and vertical mixed-use building models.