The Live6 Alliance hosted a meeting on Oct. 12, bringing together longtime residents, business owners, and property owners along the 6 Mile and Livernois corridor to discuss the future of their neighborhoods.

Over 20 people were in attendance at Detroit Sip, a soon to be opened coffee shop owned by Bagley resident Jevona Watson and located along the stretch of McNichols between Marygrove College and the University of Detroit Mercy. The gathering provided an opportunity for people to share information about upcoming events, as well as current development news concerning the area.

The group discussed an earlier community meeting with teams that proposed ideas for the Fitzgerald Revitalization Project, a city-backed initiative to rehab more than 350 homes and vacant properties in the Fitzgerald neighborhood

Investment is finally coming to the neighborhoods as the city looks to jumpstart growth in other parts of Detroit. Denise Kennedy of Martin Park, one of the Live6 Advisory committee members, notes that it was only a matter of time before interest expanded beyond the 7.2 square miles of the greater downtown area.

"People saw what was happening in Midtown, and they knew sooner or later the growth, the desire for other neighborhoods was going to be happening as Detroit came out of bankruptcy," Kennedy says. She emphasized that it was important to the people that live in her neighborhood and "stayed through thick and thin," that they weren't pushed out as development comes one step closer to becoming a reality.

Attendees also used the meeting as an opportunity to offer resources and tactical strategies to each other, particularly as services like lighting and trash removal takes time to catch up to the needs to the neighborhoods. One business owner said her nickname was the "Housekeeper on Livernois" because of all the extra work she's put in to make sure her building and the adjoining spaces around her building are clear of debris.

She and others encouraged newer business owners struggling with growing pains to stay the course, and reminded them of they support they have in the community.

All photos by Bree Gant.