Redefining the riverfront: shifting the river's purpose from industrial to entertainment is offering new business opportunities and, in effect, re-purposing the region.

Having just completed its first Detroit International River Days - a six-day festival that culminated with the 49th annual fireworks - Detroit's riverfront is still at the forefront of a lot of people's minds.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

This year, festival goers who don't normally spend much time downtown saw a redefined riverfront, a place they might not have known is already crowded during the workweek with local workers privy to its new, park-like atmosphere, thanks to the development of the east Riverfront project - a.k.a. the RiverWalk.

More than 75 percent of the cast Riverfront project, which includes two of the four plazas and pavilions and significant portions of new RiverWalk, is officially open, joining already-completed Riverfront parcels, such as the GM Plaza and Promenade and the Tri-Centennial State Park Harbor.

Faye Nelson, president & CEO of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy, said, "What is happening on the Detroit Riverfront is truly transformational. Since the inception of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy in early 2003, we have seen the waterfront change from an old industrial site, littered with silos and abandoned buildings, to a beautiful, safe and open space for Detroiters to enjoy."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

It's bringing new business opportunities, too. "We have already seen the Conservancy's riverfront project serve as a catalyst for private and public development," Nelson continued. "This transformation holds potential for everyone - it is bringing recreational and educational opportunities to our neighborhoods and communities, as well as economic benefits."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Going north from the river to Eastern Market, what was formerly an old rail corridor will soon be a non-motorized trail that will include separate biking and walking paths. The trail, dubbed the Dequindre Cut, will link the Detroit River, the RiverWalk, Tricentennial State Park and Eastern Market.

The growth is infectious. More things to do means more residents, and the opposite is also true. Housing opportunities along the river are too numerous to mention, and for the entire Detroit Region, all of this action means more business opportunity.

Karmanos Cancer Center is one of the organizations helping to grow the developing area - it is purchasing St. John Detroit Riverview Hospital from St. John Healing and is planning to relocate all its clinical operations to the new site in 2009.

"Our patients are repeat visitors who will bring additional activity and economic growth to Detroit's Riverfront community," said John C. Ruckdeschel, M.D., president., and CEO, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. "I anticipate that the Karmanos Cancer Institute will add to the resurgence and vibrancy of the community and this wonderful neighborhood," he said.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"Getting involved and contributing to the health and well-being of everyone in Southeastern Michigan is critical to our mission," Ruckdeschel continued. "Our anticipated move offers us new opportunities for community outreach,"

Another new business plan that's been in the works is the Asian Village development, spearheaded by Dominic Pangborn of Pangborn Design. Pangborn saw the potential for a new development at the riverfront after realizing that nothing had been planned for many years. "It was about time for people to start pushing it," Pangborn said

Asian Village hosted some events during River Days, but officially won't open until early fall of this year. "We have finalized the remainder of the financial backing for the project, and now we're working on hiring employees and training them," Pangborn said.

He's looking to incorporate similar developments in other cities in the Midwest, to use as a form of economic development. "Most big cities have already adopted places like Mexican villages and China towns," Pangborn said. "We want to get away from one sector and incorporate a full Asian experience."

Of Detroit, Pangborn said the opportunities are endless. "You just can't imagine that all this development is really happening."

You can't talk about the riverfront and not mention Belle Isle, and Belle Isle is big news this year with the return of the Grand Prix.

Since the Grand Prix is going on the same weekend as the Detroit International Jazz Festival, visitors to the city and inspiring entrepreneurs alike will see a thriving downtown. It's about time to recognize that the energy and lively atmosphere are here to stay.

Photos on page 18 were taken during the first annual Detroit International River Days Festival. Photos by: Jerry Sarkody