Workers will soon begin construction on a 581-space parking garage in downtown Royal Oak.
It’s part of a larger development project dubbed Rethinking Royal Oak. It includes a new public park, police station, city hall, and a six-story office building. The project kicked off earlier this month with the groundbreaking for the six-story Royal Oak City Center in front of the current city hall.
Officials say the north side of the Williams Street parking lot, near the city’s public library, will close on Tuesday of next week to start construction on the new parking deck.
The changes are meant to modernize outdated civic buildings that date back 60 years and add walkable green space on the site of what’s now the city hall and police station. The city has seen demand spike for parking as development of mid-rise buildings continues to draw new residents and office workers, adding to the city’s traditional draw as a nightlife hotspot.
A few miles to the south, Ferndale is expecting to break ground soon on its own parking deck a mixed-use structure with nearly 400 spaces called “The Dot” this spring.
This story aired on our Daily Detroit News Byte podcast.