Creating Community Through Public Spaces with DDA Jessica Westendorf
Farmington’s Downtown Development Authority does not simply market events; it builds places where neighbors meet. In this segment, Jessica Westendorf describes how pocket parks and art projects invite people to linger downtown.
Building Places to Gather
“Our strategy for economic development is building place. We are creating places where people can meet their friends and gather. You could grab a social district beverage at Lone Light Spirits and walk across the street to Dine In Park. There are self‑serve fire pits, so you can have your own bonfire night right in downtown Farmington.”
Dine In Park sits next to local shops and offers communal fire pits where neighbors share stories. The park emerged from a crowdfunding campaign and state and county grants.
Crowdfunding Success
“We designed the space and then we asked for help to build it. We had over three hundred people donate anywhere from five to twenty‑five thousand dollars to build that space.”
Community donations unlocked a matching grant through MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program and an Oakland County Parks grant. This collaboration created a permanent pocket park where visitors enjoy carry‑out meals and social district beverages in any season.
Masons Corner: Proof of Concept
“We were a little bit concerned that we might be met with fatigue, but we had even more people want to donate and support the Masons Corner project. Within a couple of months we had over four hundred people donate. We exceeded our crowdfunding goal, raising over eighty thousand dollars from our community, secured a seventy‑five thousand dollar matching grant through the state and a Main Street Oakland County placemaking grant. The city partnered on the project, splitting costs with the DDA.”
The result is another gathering spot nestled between historic buildings. Its Unity Torch sculpture stands as a symbol of community collaboration.
Donations and Art
“Our organization is not a 501(c)(3), but we have a 501(c)(3) set up through the Greater Rochester Community Foundation so we can accept tax‑deductible donations.”
The Main Street Farmington Fund allows supporters to give toward public space, art, infrastructure and cultural programming. To contribute, visit the Main Street Farmington Fund page.
Connecting with Art
“We envision the Art Park Promenade as a place filled with art and part of our social district. We partnered with Fired and Fuzed to create a mural. Community members each made a glass tile, and there were six hundred seventy‑two people. Their donations help pay for furnishings and more art in the space.”
This promenade is the first spoke in a long‑term plan to connect downtown with Shiawassee Park. While the DDA builds this segment, the city is working on the next section of the trail, with more than two million dollars in grant funding lined up for the ramp.
