A long-vacant plot of land in one of the most industry-heavy parts of Dearborn has been transformed into a pollinator-friendly greenspace as officials look to improve some of the more polluted portions of the city.
The new garden is located in what had been an empty lot at 10051 Welch St., near Dearborn’s Dix-Vernor corridor in the far southeast end of the city. It’s a short walk from Detroit’s Woodmere Cemetery and not far from the Ford truck plant.
“We set out to make a garden bloom in what was once an empty lot near one of our most industrialized and polluted corridors,” Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud said in a statement. “Repurposing this empty lot for a beautiful, scenic butterfly garden will have tangible environmental and public health benefits for the Southend.”
Officials say the entire garden was designed to include plants and flowers, including bright annuals and salvias specifically chosen to help the population of butterflies and other pollinators grow and thrive.
Hassan Abbas, city spokesperson, said officials opted to create a pollinator garden, rather than a typical park, because “A pollinator garden has the added advantage of aiding the proliferation of surrounding vegetation, promoting overall environmental health in its vicinity.”
The city is inviting residents to “take ownership” of the garden and some have volunteered to plant, water and tend to the various plants and flowers.
“They are the city’s partners in making this special garden bloom,” Abbas said.
Historical records show that most of the lot has been empty for decades, city officials said. Part of the property was once occupied by a home that was torn or burned down in the early 2000s. The city bought the parcels over several years and in 2023 began planning to convert the space into a butterfly garden.
Annabella Barry, a landscape architecture student at Michigan State University, worked alongside the Dearborn Department of Public Works and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department to plan the project. Barry advised the city regarding the most effective species to plant at the garden.
Besides its collection of plants and flowers, the garden also features paved walking paths and stepping stones, manicured edging, boulders and a butterfly-embellished bench, making it pedestrian-friendly.
It’s also home to a new butterfly-theme mural designed and implemented by the city’s Pockets of Perception student design team, which is organized by the nonprofit Dearborn Community Fund. The colorful work is painted on the rear wall of the Arabian Village Market at 10040 Dix Ave.
Officials said the project was funded with help from the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, as well as the Home Depot. The city also received a donation from community member Judy Patrick.
City leaders, community members and dignitaries including U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib celebrated the grand opening with a ribbon-cutting on Aug. 6.
Dearborn officials said the city is committed to identifying future opportunities to repurpose underutilized plots of land toward community benefit, especially in commercial and industrial corridors, which Hammoud has made his “mission.”
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
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