Main Street awarded placemaking grant

Funding will be utilized to install overhead lighting and seating in Derby’s Alleyway in the heart of Downtown Wayne.
Wayne Main Street was recently awarded a grant from the Greater Metropolitan Area Realtors Association (GMAR) for capital improvements in an underutilized alleyway in Downtown Wayne – Derby’s Alley. The funding for this project comes from GMAR’s Placemaking Grant, which supports capital improvement projects that are aimed at enhancing the built environment of cities located in southeast Michigan.
Derby’s Alley is located at 35005 W. Michigan Avenue in Downtown Wayne. In 2015 Wayne Main Street identified the site as a potential Pocket Park/Community gathering space. In 2016 WMS secured a planning grant from the Wayne Rotary Foundation to work on re-development planning for the space. Funding provided by GMAR will allow Wayne Main Street to move forward with the implementation of the re-development plan for the space. With this funding Wayne Main Street plans to install overhead festooned lighting and permanent seating in Derby’s Alley. Juan Bradford, Wayne Main Street Board President, comments “Our goal is to create a friendly, welcoming space that all Wayne residents and visitors to our Downtown can enjoy.”
Pat Rice, Board member of Wayne Main Street and Realtor with Re/Max Classic – Canton, says, “It’s so great to see the real estate community stepping up to support worthy projects like Derby’s Alley.”
“Transforming this space into community assets helps promote the vibrancy of downtown Wayne and positively impact the livability and marketability of Wayne” comments Karen Greenwood, President of the Greater Metropolitan Association of Realtors®.

About Greater Metropolitan
Area Realtors Association
The Greater Metropolitan Association of Realtors® (GMAR) is the largest local trade association in Michigan, representing over 7,800 Realtors® from across metro Detroit.
The GMAR Placemaking Grant is available to communities and local Realtors® who are working together to make their communities a better place to live, work, and play.