Community Corner

Birmingham City Commissioner Honored for Transit Role

Mark Nickita was among those recognized during the Woodward Avenue Action Association event at Fox Theatre in Detroit.

DETROIT – Birmingham City Commissioner Mark Nickita and several other local officials were honored by the Woodward Avenue Action Association during a gala event at the Fox Theatre.

Nickita was recognized Thursday during the WA3 Anniversary Celebration & Annual Meeting, "15 Years of Inspiring Change," for his work on the WA3 South Oakland Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Task Force. The group aims to explore the possibilities for extending public transportation along Woodward Avenue north of Eight Mile Road and to initiate dialogue and consensus among cities along that stretch.

The task force's work comes as the in Detroit also is progressing. The project would create a light rail line linking key areas along Woodward Avenue, from downtown to a site near Eight Mile Road. A draft environmental impact statement on the project is expected by late May or early June, said Berkley City Councilman Steve Baker, who was also honored at the event Thursday.

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"We really would like to see all the cities, from Ferndale to Birmingham, have a strategy for general development and growth all along Woodward Avenue beyond our downtown and south all the way to Eight Mile," Nickita said.

Nickita was honored along with several other local leaders, including Royal Oak Mayor Jim Ellison, the SMART bus system's John Swatosh, former state Rep. Marie Donigan, Beaumont Hospital's Jim Barrett and Ferndale City Council member Melanie Piana. Though she wasn't at the event Thursday, Birmingham Planning Director Jana Ecker also chairs the task force.

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Nickita and the TOD task force developed a resolution of support among the communities from Ferndale to Birmingham and obtained state planning funds, WA3 Executive Director Heather Carmona said during the awards ceremony. The group also aims to have coordinated land use and zoning to support transit-oriented development north of Eight Mile, she said.

That was music to the ears of Huntington Woods Mayor Ronald Gillham, who serves as secretary on the board of the Woodward Avenue Action Association, which manages the street's America's Byways and All-American Road designations and works with communities along a 27-mile stretch of the road, along with Wayne and Oakland counties, to capitalize on the corridor's potential.

"It's been good to watch the activities and events grow. It's a vital organization. There's a lot they have done, and there's a lot more to do," Gillham said. "To go across lines can be a challenge, but I hope to see those lines disappear."

Nickita agreed, noting that he believes Woodward Avenue is "the single most important street in the entire state." Thus, collaborating with leaders from various cities is crucial, he said.

"When you're on Woodward, you're on Woodward. Woodward has a feel and a character, and it's not about being in Royal Oak or Birmingham," he said.

To learn more about the Woodward Avenue Action Association or the South Oakland Transit-Oriented Development Task Force, visit woodwardavenue.org.

Editor Laura Houser contributed to this report.


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