Royal Oak Renews Woodward Avenue Action Association Membership for $6,875

1. Knitting communities together

"The association is really the organization that knits together all the communities that run the 27-mile length of Woodward Avenue," said Tim Ross, of Ross Mortgage in Royal Oak. "Its work on things like Complete Streets benefit all of the residents of Royal Oak as well as the residents of the communities that stretch up and down the avenue."

Ross, who is also a WA3 board member, said the organization helps initiate conversations and fund activities and improvements to make the avenue more attractive to residents and visitors. 

2. Branding 

"We do numerous things to brand the avenue as an All-American Road and the history we have," Schutt said. "We have anything from merchandise to road signs. We also have bus tours."

Woodward Avenue was designated a National Scenic Byway in 2002 by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta. Then in 2009, it earned an All-American Road designation, one of only 31 byways to achieve the honor. Others include historic Route 66, the Las Vegas Strip and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Money raised from merchandise goes toward beautification and public art projects along Woodward.

3. Woodward Tributes

The WA3 found a way to pay tribute to the nationally recognized road year round by installing artwork tributes – each one standing 30-feet tall.

Last October, the Royal Oak Woodward Tribute was installed in the median of Woodward near 13 Mile Road, joining others in Ferndale, Pontiac and Highland Park.

The glass and concrete structure, designed by Royal Oak resident Kyle Evans, depicts images and themes that celebrate the history and story of Woodward Avenue. 

[Read: Royal Oak Woodward Tribute Officially Illuminated]

4. Complete Streets 

Through its heritage designation, Woodward Avenue is  eligible for $5 million of grant funding. Almost $1 million of that is being used to come up with a plan for the largest Complete Streets effort in the nation, Schutt said.

The Woodward Complete Streets master plan aims to make the historic roadway more safe, friendly and accessible for users of all modes and abilities.

The information-gathering phase of Complete Streets includes a draft plan for the public to review that will be released in the fall. It will include short-term, low-cost options; long-term, high-cost options; and methods to fund both. WA3 hopes to release a comprehensive Woodward Complete Streets master plan by early 2014.

[Read: Walking Through Royal Oak with Complete Streets in Mind]

5. Celebrating automotive heritage

The WA3 has signed an agreement to purchase the historic Ford Highland Park Administration Building and Executive Garage to renovate and restore to their former glory.

The Ford Highland Park plant is the crown jewel of automotive heritage, according to Schutt. It's where Henry Ford offered $5 a day wage in 1914 that launched the middle class, she said.

"It's one of the top five historically significant sites in the U.S. It's where the moving assembly line was first  inaugurated. On Oct. 7 it will be the 100 year anniversary," Schutt said. 

The WA3 plans to turn the facility into an Automobile Heritage Welcome Center within five years.

"We have a lot of fundraising to do," Schutt said.

For more information on the Highland Park preservation project, click here.