Implosion of the former North Park Plaza in Southfield. By John Stormzand , O&E Media John Stormzand/O & E Media

The 17-story North Park Plaza Building, located within the Southfield DDA, was imploded in mid-December. Now owned by Oakland Community College and vacant since 2010, the building included more than 280,000 square feet of space just west of Rutland Drive on Nine Mile Road and adjacent to M-10 The Lodge Freeway.

Oakland Community College (OCC) continues to be a great partner for the city of Southfield and the Southfield DDA and the college is determining possible plans for that property. Cleanup has begun on the property which is directly across from OCC’s active Southfield campus.

See the Fox 2 Detroit interview with Southfield DDA Executive Director Al Aceves and OCC Chancellor Timothy Meyer previewing the implosion. You can also watch video of the implosion from this Hometown Life Newspapers and Southfield Sun link.

The former North Park Plaza Building will be imploded the morning of Sunday, Dec. 14 starting at 8:30 a.m. The building is located on Nine Mile Road in Southfield adjacent to the Lodge Freeway.

Now owned by Oakland Community College and vacant since 2010, the building includes more than 280,000 square feet of space just west of Rutland Drive. Controlled Demolition Inc. is working with North American Dismantling Corp. to complete this demolition project.
This demolition will likely result in a rolling closure of nearby roads the morning of December 14 because of dust and other debris that is likely to occur. As such, Nine Mile Road will be closed starting at 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, and the Lodge Freeway may experience some short-term closures as well.
The final plan for road closures will be determined by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). Other roads such as Rutland and the Northwestern Highway service drive and are likely to be impacted.

Congratulations to Southfield Mayor and Congresswoman-elect Brenda Lawrence. Starting in January, she will represent Michigan’s 14th congressional district, which includes the City of Southfield.
Congresswoman-elect Lawrence has served as Southfield’s Mayor since 2001 and during that time has been a wonderful supporter of business and commercial developments in the city and in the Southfield DDA in particular. She has been an active member of the DDA’s board and has always been a leader who has proactively made decisions and offered advice based on what is good for the people who live and work in Southfield.
We wish the Congresswoman well and look forward to having her represent our area in Washington, DC.
In the meantime the Southfield DDA will continue to work with the Southfield City Council, which will make a decision on who the interim Mayor of Southfield will be once the former mayor begins her term in Congress.

Two completed transportation projects in the city of Southfield totaling nearly $4 million were celebrated at a public dedication on November 6 near the newly renovated Northland Bus Transit Center.

That transit center began serving riders in early November and Greenfield Road opened to motorists the first weekend of November.

The Northland Transit Center renovation is part of the final phase of a multimillion dollar federal grant that is being used to renovate the Northland Transit Center and other projects along Eight Mile Road. The Northland Transit Center renovation is valued at $748,750 and included new concrete and asphalt surfacing and new pedestrian amenities such as landscaping, shelters, benches and trash receptacles.
The grant involved collaboration between The Eight Mile Boulevard Association, city of Southfield, Southfield DDA, DDOT, SMART and Northland Center. Parsons Brinckerhoff and WCI Contractors were retained to perform project consulting and improvement work, respectively.

Greenfield Road was reconstructed from Eight Mile Road to north of Nine Mile Road in Southfield at a cost of $3.1 million. Of that amount, approximately $1.75 million was paid for with federal funds. The remainder was shared by the city of Southfield, Southfield DDA, Oakland County general government and the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC).

The project involved complete pavement removal and replacement in the southbound lanes of Greenfield Road. The road was reconstructed with concrete, including new curbs and gutters. It included crosswalk upgrades to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements as well as the construction of a new city of Southfield water main.
Thanks to all who were involved with these projects which help make our community a better place to live and work!