Members of the Canton Township Board of Trustees have approved an intergovernmental agreement with Wayne County to fund the revitalization of Cherry Hill Village.
Canton will contribute $4.75 million to the project using American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds, Wayne County millage funds and the township general fund. The plan for the construction of new restaurants, open-air dining, a new park and public programs was to be presented to members of the Wayne County Commission last week in an effort to secure a matching $4.75 million from county ARPA funds.
The project, called Canton Town Square, has been the subject of discussion among township and county officials for more than a year. Canton Township Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak said the project would fill a need in the community for a “walkable, economically vital downtown community. She said the partnership with Wayne County would offer an opportunity to double the amount of funding available for the project.
Cherry Hill Village is a designed community which features homes with front porches, picket fences, parks and walkable streets. The projected commercial and retail district in the community was not completed, officials said. Graham-Hudak said that small businesses established in the village community struggled and sometimes failed.
Preliminary plans for the revitalization include a park, the Village Arts Factory Campus with the creation of Factory Park on 14 acres of undeveloped land behind the factory, improvements to Preservation Park, Leisure Services programming, Arts & Humanities community events, an improved sidewalk and trail system and parking improvements.
Canton Township Clerk Michael Siegrist explained that the plans for the project would be presented to the public before construction was under way. He noted, too, that residents on the west side of the township often go elsewhere for entertainment. He said he hoped the proposed project would allow Canton residents to feel more comfortable staying in the community. He said he felt the project was good from the environment and good for the community.
