Legacy Park (Seven Mile Property)

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Northville Township is in the midst of creating an important piece of our community’s future: Legacy Park.

This 350-acre green space oasis, located near the eastern border of Northville Township, off Seven Mile Road between Haggerty and Northville roads, is undergoing a transformation.

This piece of land represents your home, your heritage.

Since 1952, it’s been a space of healing for many. It once housed the former Northville Psychiatric State Hospital. When it was built, it was touted as Michigan’s first attempt at scientific treatment of mental illness. An innovative art and music therapy program captured the attention of many. Patients put on plays, sang or learned to play instruments. Other patients gardened, studied mechanics or worked in hospital facilities. The hospital closed in 2003.

Those healing roots are emerging again. The 11 remaining buildings have undergone remediation, where crews removed the asbestos and hazardous materials. Safety is a top priority here. Northville Township hired a specialist to complete this in such a way that our residents are protected by keeping the materials from becoming airborne and disposing of the materials properly.

Asbestos Abatement Incorporated of Lansing, and its subcontractors, completed this task by late fall 2023.

One building remains and will be repurposed. Building 14, the former laundry facility, is being evaluated by the Township's Legacy Park Master Plan Committee for future uses.

“It would be a legacy building for Legacy Park. How fitting,” said Northville Township Supervisor Mark J. Abbo.

The Trail Forward

Since the demolition is complete, the fun has begun. Planners studied the topography and mapped out park trails, nature areas and other amenities. This was after working with the Township’s Legacy Park Committee, who surveyed residents, spoke to recreation organizations and consulted the Seven Mile Park Master Plan that was adopted in 2012. Making the best use of this land is a priority.

One recent lesson Northville Township -- and all communities -- learned during the COVID-19 pandemic is the importance of the outdoors. Residents love it, use it and need it. Legacy Park will offer that to you.

We started marking the trails in late 2023. Our contractor is currently creating them. This is Phase One of a three-phase project that will include up to 16 miles of trailways for visitors to come and enjoy nature, away from the concrete and cars. Phase One is expected to be completed in fall 2024.

With removal of all the buildings, there is now a lot of open space -- nearly 63 acres! The Township is consulting with various professionals to develop a plan for the open fields. We are actively seeking grants to fund re-forestation efforts and re-establish native vegetation.

We also are creating the Legacy Park Master Plan, which is a long-term strategy that maximizes the property's uniqueness while establishing priorities for park improvements spanning the next 20 years or so. To help guide that path forward, we host public input sessions and gather feedback from the community and key stakeholders to glean guidance in creating this public park. The input is integral to creating a vision for the park.

Building Our Future

Legacy Park also is the future home of our Essential Services Complex. It will house a second fire station, our new Public Safety Headquarters, a new headquarters for Public Works and the trailhead to Legacy Park. It will be built without new taxes.

This important addition to Legacy Park will improve service delivery to our residents. Because Northville Township is a fiscally responsible government, we brought in outside consultants to explore remodeling existing buildings versus building a new one to accommodate current-day needs. The experts said it was more cost-effective to create this essential services complex. The benefits are long-term.

This multi-year project is in the early stages of building with an anticipated opening in spring 2025.

Second Water Tower

The expansive property at Legacy Park also accommodates an additional elevated water tower within the Township’s system. Aside from proving redundancy and better pressures, this could translate to significant savings on future water costs. The extra 500,000-gallon tank will decrease the Township’s peak water demands. By reducing our peak demands, we will realize significant cost savings through the Great Lakes Water Authority’s rate methodology.

The tank was completed in 2024. It became active June 1.

Pardon Our Dust

Thank you for your patience as we transform this beautiful part of Northville Township.