ART Isabelle McIntosh
Those driving down Leroy Street this afternoon see a downtown area very different from the one eight months ago. Since April, the streets of the downtown area have been resurfaced, reconstructed and improved. This is not the end of development in the area, however. The city is on the rise and the Fenton Momentum Project was just the beginning.

“The project began because the downtown was not very walkable to begin with, and there were many infrastructure needs that had to be addressed,” Assistant City Manager Michael Burns said. “With the revitalization that the downtown has seen over the past few years, this project was needed to enhance downtown.”

This revitalization is a project that must occur every 30-50 years, and the conclusion of the Momentum Project is just the start of a city-wide restoration.

“You will see significant development in downtown for many years,” Burns said. “Caroline Street will be rebuilt between, and the buildings that are there now will be demolished and replaced with mixed use buildings similar to Cornerstone toward Leroy. The former Action Auto property will also eventually be redeveloped.”

Although Burns admits that businesses downtown were hindered during the construction period, the city’s future economy will most likely improve.

“National trends have shown that when projects of this nature are completed, they have shown significant increases in economic activity,” Burns said. “We suspect that the city will benefit immensely from this project along with the many projects in the downtown for the years to come.”

ART Isabelle McIntosh