Northville celebrates opening of Essential Services Complex

    Northville Township officials, staff members and residents celebrated the grand opening of the new 96,000-square-foot Essential Services Complex (ESC) last week — a major milestone nearly one year to the day after the groundbreaking for the project.

    The complex was designed to foster dedication to public safety and deliver faster, more efficient services to residents, officials said. The ribbon-cutting ceremony highlighted the collaborative effort between the township, Cunningham-Limp, PARTNERS in Architecture, PLC, and OHM Advisors (Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc.).
    The new public safety headquarters is housed on Seven Mile Road, part of a 350-acre project recently named the 2025 Project of the Year by the Michigan Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA). In addition to new stations for both police and fire services, the complex is headquarters for the municipal Department of Public Works. Northville Township first acquired the former site of a psychiatric hospital complex in 2009. Demolition of buildings on the site began in 2012 and following a $12 million bond sale in 2018, the remainder of the 20 buildings, a water tower and power plant were demolished. The actual 250,000-square-foot, multi-story psychiatric hospital was razed in 2018. Redeveloping the site included asbestos and lead abatement in several of the buildings and property. The complex also includes Legacy Park, a recreational site which has walking and biking trails among other amenities.

    Both Police Chief Scott Hilden and Fire Chief Brett Siegel were enthusiastic about the improvements in service the new headquarters would provide for residents. Siegel said he was confident of improved response times because of the new geographical location of the station.
    “We spend a tremendous amount of time training in developing our staff, but the one operational deficiency that we could not address through training is our response times. Opening this station will significantly reduce response times, which will lead to lives being saved,” Siegel said. The new fire station hosts half of the current fire department staff. Fire Station 1 is off Six Mile Road, across from Northville High School.
    The prominent visibility of the new station is also an asset noted Hilden.
    “This complex was never meant to be closed off from the public,” Hildon said. “It was meant to be part of it. This is a place where community connections are made stronger; a place where engagement, outreach and trust are front and center. This will be a more connected Northville Township.”
    “We’re celebrating a promise fulfilled,” said Township Manager Glenn Caldwell. “The promise to protect, to serve and to secure the well-being of every member of the community for generations to come.”