St. Clair Riverfront Revival

When SEMCOG’s General Assembly gathered last month in Sterling Heights, we did something new – we celebrated a significant project that makes Southeast Michigan a more vibrant region.

2017 Regional Showcase Award Project

The 2017 Regional Showcase project is the St. Clair Riverfront Revival, which demonstrates a spirit of collaboration and newfound economic vibrancy focusing on the quality of life, tourism, recreation, education, and the blue economy. The award was given to the City of Port Huron and St. Clair County, working with several other partners to create three miles of regionally significant development.

“The most important part of this project,” noted Port Huron Mayor Pauline Repp, “is connecting families and communities to the St. Clair River – one of Southeast Michigan’s greatest jewels.”

St. Clair County, Port Huron, and its partners successfully invested more than $15 million using these guiding principles:

• Boost and enhance economic prosperity
• Protect and preserve the St Clair River shoreline
• Make the waterfront publicly available and accessible 365 days of the year
• Restore natural habitat
• Create a destination for families that maintains the riverfront’s heritage and legacy
• Blend habitat restoration with public access, recreation, and tourism

Project highlights

With $6 million in public and private investment, the Blue Water River Walk incorporates:

• A multiuse trail with historic and educational interpretive features, public art, and other placemaking amenities.
• Restored and rehabilitated shoreline, including shallow-water habitat, off-shore reefs, and native plants and wildlife habitat.
• A restored 1900s Railroad Ferry Dock – now a public gathering place.
• An outdoor classroom to teach about the St Clair River ecosystem.
• A County Wetlands Park – nearly 3 acres of a former brownfield was cleaned up and converted into a wetland habitat for reptiles, amphibians, and migrating waterfowl.

The Bridge to Bay Trail & Island Loop National Water Trail includes:

• Two miles of pathways and trails connecting the Blue Water Convention Center to the Black River as part of the Bridge to Bay Trail, which will be a 54-mile paved trail from the Bluewater Bridge to New Baltimore.
• Habitat restoration enhancing the Island Loop – one of two National Water Trails in the region.

The Blue Water Convention Center uses $9 million in public and private redevelopment along the St. Clair River with:

• A 34,000 square foot convention center – a regional asset and anchor for future development.
• The Double Tree Hotel by Hilton, featuring 149 guest rooms, 10,000 square feet of meeting space, and the Freighters Eatery and Taproom.
• The Baker College Culinary Institute of Michigan, providing training in a rapidly expanding field.

SEMCOG policies and actions implemented in the St. Clair Riverfront Revival

The project successfully implements policies and recommendations from the following regional plans:

• The Green Infrastructure Vision of Southeast Michigan
• Access to Core Services in Southeast Michigan
• Water Resources Plan – Blue Economy, Recreation, and Tourism Policies
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel Plan
• Partnering for Prosperity: Economic Development Strategy
• Preparing the Technical Workforce

Partners

It takes many stakeholders working together to implement a large-scale vision such as the St. Clair Riverfront Revival. Project partners included St. Clair County, the City of Port Huron, the Community Foundation for St. Clair County, the Environmental Protection Agency (Great Lakes Restoration Initiative), U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Michigan Department of Transportation, SEMCOG, private donors, and philanthropists.