Woodbridge Community Garden--or the land beneath it--was recently purchased from the City of Detroit by Jim Geary, owner of nearby Woodbridge Pub. Having been part of the expansive garden since its inception years ago, Geary's ownership allows the garden to do what few gardens have done before: Make the leap from temporary garden to permanent neighborhood asset. Welcome to Woodbridge Community Garden 2.0.
"My goal is to make it a more functioning community space," Geary told us. His vision is to create a garden more suitable for hosting gardening and art classes (it's already home to several sculptures), concerts, or other events that may be interested. With this is mind, Geary plans not only on revamping the garden's design, he's also going to install the one thing any legitimate meeting space needs: restrooms. The restrooms will be located in the rear of what's known as the "Green Shack," a former art venue next door.
A new fence around the garden's perimeter will be the other major addition, allowing the garden to be secured at night. "I didn't want to invest in a real fence before I owned the property," said Geary, "But I did invest in other areas." The garden's picnic tables, stage, several of the trees, and even the sign out front bearing its name are all, at least in part, an effort of Jim Geary. So really, Geary's new ownership isn't going to change much: Come spring, he'll continue investing in what he believes to be an important neighborhood asset, and the neighbors will continue to enjoy it.
Loading comments...