DETROIT (WWJ) -- A new park is set to transform Detroit's west riverfront into a destination for all Detroiters.
That would be the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, planned for W. Jefferson Avenue near Corktown.
"We want the community to tell us what they would see here, and it’s an opportunity for us to really pivot from focusing on the design to focusing on the activation," Wallace said.
Wallace says they will break ground on the park in 2020 and it should open in 2022.
Once complete, the Centennial Park will have a beach cove, a basketball court and of course, a playground for the kids.
"We’re trying to make it a place that all of Detroit is going to enjoy coming to," said Michael Van Valkenburgh, president of the firm designing the park. "We have things for little kids, we have places to play basketball, we have access to the water, we have barbecue areas."
The conservancy's ultimate vision, according to its website, is to develop 5.5 miles of riverfront stretching from the Ambassador Bridge on the west, all the way to Gabriel Richard Park, which is just east of the Belle Isle Bridge.
The project's first phase, which officials say is 80 percent complete, spans 3.5 miles from Joe Louis Arena to Gabriel Richard Park.
The next phase of the project will open up a segment of the west riverfront for long-awaited public access, with a 20-acre "green oasis" on the property formerly owned by the Detroit Free Press.
Pathways link the riverfront to W. Jefferson and the width of the popular RiverWalk has been expanded to 30 feet.
Renderings on the conservancy's website show the beach cove at Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park could be converted to an ice rink during winter months.
The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation is committing $40 million for construction at the new park and $10 million will go to supporting broader efforst for the long-term sustainability of the riverfront. The announcement was made as part of a $200 million investment in parks and trails in Southeastern Michigan and in Western New York.
The new park was originally announced as "West Riverfront Park," but was named in honor of Wilson, on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Wilson, who grew up in the Detroit area, owned the NFL's Buffalo Bills and his $200 million investment will be split evenly between the two communities.