West Shoreway Boulevardization Project

For many years, the powers have be have been planning to reduce the West Shoreway, also known as Route 2, from a limited-access highway to a tree-lined boulevard. This short, 2 mile freeway runs from Clifton Blvd. to downtown, enabling easy access to downtown chiefly by Lakewood residents. The new plan intends to allow easier access to the lake shore from the emerging Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood (named for its primary thoroughfares - Detroit Ave. and the West Shoreway).

As the above summary indicates, it appears that this project as well as the rise of the popularity of Detroit-Shoreway has spurred the proposal of no fewer than five mixed-use projects, some of which are already underway (like the Battery Park residential development). These projects are taking advantage of the critical mass created by the Gordon Square Arts District. Also deserving of honorable mention is 78th Street Studios, a group of over 40 galleries, art studios and creative spaces within a single building, located within the area designated with a "1."

As the Detroit-Shoreway gentrification marches westward toward the Lakewood city line, better access to Edgewater Park and the waterfront can only be a further boon for the neighborhood.