Royal Oak Parking Restricted As Development Begins

ROYAL OAK, MI — Changes are coming to downtown Royal Oak. Starting May 7, the south side of the Williams Street parking lot, also known as Lot 4 in front of city hall, will close kicking off the development project transforming the center of town with new facilities and green space. The finished project will feature a new two-acre public park, police station, city hall, six-story office building, and parking structure.

The city has pegged the project “Rethink Royal Oak” and hopes to keep the downtown area thriving during the major construction project.

“We invite residents, visitors, businesses and more to ‘Rethink Royal Oak’ by trying new restaurants, frequenting more shops, considering alternate parking and modes of transportation and more,” said Royal Oak City Community Engagement Specialist Judy Davids. “We are excited for the development of these incredible amenities for our community and are dedicated to informing the public of what phase were are in, every step of the way."

To accommodate residents, visitors and disabled individuals during the project, the city will open the private lot between city hall and the library to the public as a metered lot on the same day.

The kickoff

A public celebration to kick off the development will take place at the south side of the Williams Street lot from 6-9 p.m. May 11, with a variety of kid-friendly activities, music and more: Modern Skate is featuring a half-pipe where talent will demo BMX bikes, skateboards, scooters and rollerblades; The SMART bus team and Royal Oak Transit Task Force will be there with information on how to get downtown by bus; Royal Oak city staff will also be onsite to discuss the upcoming north-south four-mile bike lane that is coming this summer; Oakland County’s Retro Games Mobile Unit will offer sack races, egg-and-spoon relays, tug-o-war ropes, kickball and other games; and The United States Post Office will also collect non-perishable food donations as part of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

The hours and availability of the Royal Oak Library and Farmer’s Market respectively will not be impacted by the development. But, this year’s Royal Oak In Bloom will move to the Sixth and Main Street parking lots on May 13. Attendees can park in nearby surface lots and the north end of the Oakland Community College Parking Garage. The Memorial Day Parade will take place on May 28 at 9 a.m. along Main Street and Lincoln Street, and move north through downtown.

Residents and visitors can get regular updates on www.rethinkro.com, which includes a parking guide that advises available parking options and accompanying pricing information. This includes four of the parking downtown garages: Center Street, Lafayette North, Lafayette South, Emagine and garages.

According to city officials, this project is one of the largest in Royal Oak’s history and will be built over the next two years.

Image via Rethink Royal Oak

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