Nautical Mile: Enhancements and Future Planning St. Clair Shores, Michigan

Services Provided

Visioning
Stakeholder Engagement
Public Space Design
Streetscape Design
Environmental Graphics

People Involved

Andy Knight
Casey Elmer
Sean Hare
Tori Luckenbach
Luis Calvo

Guiding reinvestment within a community’s lakefront

The Nautical Mile is currently home to seven major marinas with over 2,700 boat slips. The District also features nightlife, a variety of dining options, and is host to a number of major events. Metro Detroit has initiated several waterfront public improvements to help facilitate people’s enjoyment of Michigan’s beautiful waterfront. The Nautical Mile is due for a resurgence as a visitor and resident destination. It is the intent of this project to introduce prioritized public improvements including non-motorized transportation, parking, and public gathering places based on the greatest impact to attract visitors and residents to the Nautical Mile. MKSK led a multidisciplinary team in the development of a robust planning, design, and implementation strategy effort to guide reinvestment within the St. Clair Lakefront.

The master plan identifies and prioritizes specific public investments that are intended to provide a catalyst for improved connectivity and public space throughout the District. Walking between points of interest in the Nautical Mile is currently a challenge, not only because of the distance from Jefferson Avenue to Lake St Clair, but also due to private property and canals limiting direct paths to various destinations. Throughout the Nautical Mile, Focus Areas for public investment have been identified, such as creating bike lanes, signage and wayfinding strategies, open space improvements, and activation zones.

Recommendations identify the two public bookends of the Mile - the 9 Mile Pier and Blossom Heath Park as major public gathering places and proposed anchors to the Nautical Mile. Blossom Heath Park, currently the site of a closed beach, is in need of a new vision to fulfill its potential. The proposed improvements should help enhance the major events that the Nautical Mile currently hosts and foster new successful events.