New growth revives this Oakland County city

• New single-family and condominium developments improve established residential neighborhoods.
• Hazel Park attracts younger patrons who wish to dwell close to Ferndale and Royal Oak, however at a extra attainable worth level.

As a part of the Detroit Free Press sequence exploring Michigan communities, we head to Hazel Park this week to discover what makes this small Detroit metro metropolis so particular.

Enchantment: Hazel Park, a group in southeastern Oakland County bordering Wayne and Macomb counties, is within the midst of seen reinvestment and revitalization. Lengthy recognized for its modest housing inventory and tight-knit neighborhoods, town is now attracting renewed curiosity from builders and homebuyers attracted by its affordability, location and a rising sense of momentum.

Important enhancements are underway alongside the John R Street hall between 8 Mile and 10 Mile, with new landscaping, improved walkways and lighting. Main street Hazelparka part of the nationwide Main Street America program and tailor-made to Main Street Oakland Countyhelps strengthen the financial vitality and eclectic character of the hall. Pole banners alongside the northern portion of John R emphasize the evolving id of the hall.

Private and non-private subsidies additionally assist progress. Oakland County awarded $300,000 for renovations to the recreation middle and $400,000 for enhancements to Inexperienced Acres Park. The recreation middle is being modernized and town will quickly home a satellite tv for pc workplace of Oakland County Parks and Recreation.

Residential redevelopment, particularly infill housing, transforms neighborhoods by changing blighted properties with new building, mixing trendy design with established neighborhoods. Bloomfield Hills-based Robertson Houses not too long ago accomplished a 54-unit condominium challenge, and the corporate is working with Singer to suggest an roughly 101-unit condominium challenge alongside the I-75 service drive south of 10 Mile, based on Metropolis Supervisor Edward Klobucher.

“We’re in preliminary discussions concerning a proposal to redevelop a vacant lot on the southeast nook of John R and Woodward Heights,” he added.

Hazel Park’s financial base can also be diversified. Constructed on the previous 300-acre Hazel Park Raceway, one of many metropolis’s most iconic landmarks, the Tri-County Commerce Middle now serves as a significant industrial anchor.

“We’re a Promise Zone group, with a assured two-year scholarship for college students graduating from Hazel Park Faculties,” Klobucher stated, noting that town stays “a protected, inexpensive, centrally positioned, full-service metropolis with a real sense of group, the place all are welcome.”

Information: Integrated as a metropolis in 1942, Hazel Park covers 1.5 sq. miles and is residence to 14,945 residents. The town is bordered to the south by Detroit, lies simply south of I-696 and is bisected by I-75. (US Census)

Within the Sixties, Hazel Park was reshaped because the extension of I-75 minimize by way of the group and displaced a part of the John R Street enterprise district.

The town additionally holds a singular place in Michigan’s retail historical past. The primary Concord Home music retailer opened within the metropolis in 1947 and finally grew to 38 places earlier than a lot of the shops closed in 2002.

For extra data, go to www.hazelpark.org.

Neighborhoods: Hazel Park’s housing inventory consists of single-story and bungalow-style properties constructed on small tons earlier than the Sixties. Newer building is often two-story properties, and town additionally gives residences and condominiums. In response to Realcomp II, median residence gross sales costs in 2024 ranged from lower than $50,000 to $360,000, reflecting town’s affordability and mixture of housing choices.

Parks and recreation: The town maintains 13 parks with playgrounds, ball fields, pavilions, a dust bike monitor, a group backyard, a canine park, a disc golf course, sledding hills and strolling trails.

The Hazelpark ice arenapurchased by Sports group Black Bear in 2023 will embody two ice caps, a fitness center and concessions and serve Little Caesars Hockey Membership, Worldwide Stars Youth Hockey and a number of other highschool groups.

Group Occasions: Just a few annual occasions embody the Memorial Weekend Competition and Carnival, the Hazel Park Artwork Honest in August, and the Hazel Park Haunted Artwork Honest in October.

Taxes: $50.88 per $1,000 of the taxable worth of a house within the Hazel Park Faculties district. A $92,800 residence (common priced) with a taxable worth of $46,400 pays about $2,360.

Purchasing and eating: The primary buying areas are alongside John R and 9 Mile roads, the place new funding has created a extra various business combine.” The south aspect of John R has been notably scorching these days, with new companies, new bars and eating places,” Klobucher stated. The town is residence to a number of notable eating choices together with Mabel Gray, Loui’s Pizza, Pi is Thai, Brayz Hamburgerand the not too long ago opened Bar Gabi.

Extra: Framebar in Hazel Park will get new life as chef couple opens Romanian bistro

The town’s espresso scene can also be rising with 4 new retailers: Hazel Perk, Kazara, Java hut And Coffee and barkKlobucher famous.

Industries and employers: Amazon, Capital Gross sales, Mayville techniqueEnovaPremier and Hi-lex control

Public transport: SMART, Senior van service for residents aged 55 and over or with a incapacity.

Public Security: Hazel Park police reported 16 burglaries, 23 automobile thefts, 4 instances of legal sexual conduct, 5 robberies and 0 homicides in 2024.

Group Perception: For a lot of younger patrons, Hazel Park’s enchantment is rooted in each its affordability and site. Collin Ward, 36, rented in Ferndale and Birmingham earlier than shopping for a home in Hazel Park a yr and a half in the past.

“I wished to dwell within the Woodward Hall,” he stated, noting that Ferndale and Royal Oak’s costs had been above his price range. “Hazel Park introduced me into the neighborhood and was nonetheless inexpensive.” Ward stated he has seen extra younger residents transfer in, together with two associates who purchased properties on the town prior to now two years. The mixture of worth and accessibility, he added, is difficult to beat. With fast entry to I-75 and I-696, “I can get anyplace in about 20 minutes.”

Brendel Clark (beforehand revealed as Brendel Hightower) writes about actual property and different subjects for the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bclark@freepress.com. Help native journalism: Subscribe to the Detroit Free Press.