Oakland County names Hazel Park as first member of Oak Street program

A raging debate in central cities and inner-ring suburbs is whether downtowns or the neighborhoods should get more attention.

There's little doubt that downtowns receive the lion's share of attention, ranging from DDAs to TIFs. Oakland County is no different with its Main Street Oakland County program which is dedicated to improving downtowns throughout the county.

Now the neighborhoods are getting a little more love with the Oak Street program.

The initiative, a spin-off of the Main Street program, is dedicated to revitalizing and stabilizing mature neighborhoods. It's first candidate – Hazel Park.

"Hazel Park has a rich heritage and established neighborhoods that make it a natural for Oak Street," says Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. "These neighborhoods and their residents are the backbone of the county. Oak Street will help preserve the rich heritage of these wonderful areas while ensuring these neighborhoods remain desirable places to live and raise a family."

Oak Street will provide education and technical assistance to the neighborhoods in an effort to preserve their history and character. One of the signature items of the program is a street fair that will be held for each participating city. The fairs, set for May, will include presentations on existing programs, sustainable rehabilitation and neighborhood heritage. The idea is to find more ways to invest in older communities.

Two more participating communities for the Oak Street program will be announced later this year.

Source: Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke

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Oakland County names Hazel Park as first member of Oak Street program

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