Through a survey and a recent meeting with residents, Wyoming City officials said it appears that the new master plan for Gezon Park will need to have a balance between what is at the park now and the amenities some would like to see added.
Last week, the City of Wyoming’s Department of Parks and Recreation hosted its first public meeting on the new master plan for Gezon Park at the KDL Wyoming Branch. With about 70 residents in attendance, representatives from Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio revealed the results of an online survey the city conducted earlier. Mark Robertson, of Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio, noted the survey received more than 1,200 responses, which was pretty impressive.
Community Services Director Rebecca Rynbrandt said the city was pleased with the responses and the turnout at the Jan. 18 meeting. She stated at the meeting, that three proposed plans will be presented at the second public meeting set for Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Metro Health University of Michigan Health Conference Center, 2225 Main St., located in the hospital. The master plan proposal will then be sent to the Wyoming Planning Commission and finally to the Wyoming City Council for final approval.
Gezon Park is located between Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street with entrances along both roads. The 94-acre park, which according to Rynbrandt was a former well field, has only about 52 acres available for development due to the existing water tower and other natural land features.
Many at the Jan. 18 public meeting who spoke indicated that they lived near the park and were happy the way the park is now, with the center area mostly left natural and a variety of animals living in the park.
The survey results indicated a mix of desired uses with the top ones being nature/natural trails, walking, playgrounds and splash pads. Gezon Park does have a playground at the 52nd Street entrance with unpaved walking trails. At the Gezon Parkway entrance, there are ballfields.
The survey also showed that the largest respondents were in the ages of 38-55 and lived more than a mile away from the park.
A large number of respondents indicated they had children or visited parks with children. For those with children, the top organized programs were nature education along with baseball and soccer. Non-organized activities included playgrounds, splash pads, walking/hiking paths and biking paths/trails.
As for personal non-organized activities respondents visited a park for, walking, relaxation and trails ranked high with baseball being the number one organized activity. Also it was indicated that facilities should be provided for large gatherings.
To see the complete results, click here.
Most of those who spoke at the meeting said they enjoy the quiet of the park and want to preserve the wooded area with the trails. Several indicated some parking issues that have developed due to park usage. A couple of residents said they would not mind more development on either end of the park, but wanted to keep the center mostly natural. One person did mention the possibility of a dog park but several residents raised concerns about property values.
