'Building beauty': Detroit announces $3M plan to beautify alleys
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit will use $3 million it received through the American Rescue Plan Act to beautify alleys.
"We want to stop talking about removing blight we want to start talking about building beauty," said Mayor Mike Duggan.
The Arts Alleys project which will help spruce up alleys in five neighborhoods. It will allow alleys to be transformed into beautiful community gathering places.
"Detroit is beautiful in so many ways; we are just going to help make more," said Rochelle Riley, the director of Arts, Culture & Entrepreneurship with the City of Detroit
One alley is on the process of becoming a gathering place to focus on mental wellbeing.
"This alley will allow the Manistique community Treehouse Center to have space in nature for mental health and mental wellbeing, which is one of our missions," said Tammy Black, the executive director of the Manistique Treehouse Association. "It will also be ran off of solar power."
Those who have been advocating for decades to remove blight believe this initiative will help take beautifying Detroit to the next level.
"We’ve been in the business of blight removal for 34 years, and now to be able to focus on the beautification is really key," said John George, the president of Detroit Blight Busters.