Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The Howell City Council has finalized a property purchase that will bring more parking to the downtown area.

Council signed off on a purchase agreement for the excess MDOT property off Wetmore Street, next to the historic Howell Depot.

City Manager Erv Suida tells WHMI its property owned by MDOT and they worked out a deal to purchase it for fair market value at $140,000.

Some residents in the Wetmore Street area have spoken at recent Council meetings to raise concerns about traffic, increased noise, lighting pollution, and potential loitering.

The MDOT lot is part of additional parking that will be coming as part of the larger Howell Depot Lot project. Suida said it’s separate but essentially continuous and will likely be happening around the same time.

The MDOT lot will provide an additional 140 spaces in the area, coupled with the additional 60 on the Depot Lot. All in all, there will be 200 new parking spots – which Suida said is consistent with their most recent parking plan.

Suida noted a lot has been accomplished in the past few years to meet identified needs, which includes hiring a full-time parking enforcement officer and implementing appropriate time frames on parking lots. He added they’re looking forward to accomplishing different items and “bringing this very exciting project to the city”.

The larger Depot Lot project involves transforming the old lot into a public gathering space with additional parking. A pavilion will house an ice rink in the winter and then be utilized in the warm weather and summer for events. Firepits, benches, a warming area, skate rentals, and lockers are some of the amenities along with extensive landscaping and a decorative retaining wall. The design also better highlights the historic Howell Depot Museum in the area.

When it comes to construction, Suida said some very minimal work will be done this year but everything will really ramp up in the spring. Project completion is pegged for November 2025.

Additional project renderings are attached.

An informational meeting on the Depot Lot project is set for June 25th from 4 to 6pm at the Historic Train Depot located at Walnut and Wetmore Streets.