Rotary Square Design Unveiled; Price Tag Estimated at $2.55M

Following an extensive public engagement process, a final design is being unveiled this week for Rotary Square in downtown Traverse City. The design seeks to “strike a balance between an active public plaza and a natural respite within downtown Traverse City,” with a mix of park amenities surrounding a large grassy area in the park center.  The project is estimated to cost just under $2 million, with a total projected budget of $2.55 million when adding in contingencies, construction management, and a 15 percent variance.

The final design – called Petoskey Stone – will be unveiled 9am Friday at the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board meeting. The DDA released a sneak peek Tuesday of the new vision for the park, located at the southeast corner of State and Union streets. “Inspired by the organic forms of the Petoskey Stone, the layout layers active and passive uses around a central lawn,” project documents state. “These layers create opportunities for both quiet, intimate moments and larger gatherings when the space is activated.”

Several key amenities are featured in the park design, including swing benches facing the lawn and scattered small seating areas featuring a mix of seating styles. A raised pathway leads to an elevated platform overlooking the lawn, with an adjacent slide and natural berms offering play features. A shaded canopy area will function as both seating and a small stage location, while a dry runnel – a narrow rocky channel – will help collect stormwater. The lawn itself is envisioned to be a large natural turf area “for lounging, play, and gatherings.” To the south, Rotary Square would connect to FishPass through a programmed space in the alley overlooking the Boardman/Ottaway River.

The design was created through a public engagement process that included three community surveys, two public open houses, and multiple pop-up input sessions – collecting over 1,000 points of feedback, according to consulting firm Progressive Companies. The estimated construction cost to implement the Petoskey Stone design is $1,978,973 – a figure that also includes an underground stormwater retention system. Adding in contingencies and other costs puts the total estimated project budget at $2,555,014.

DDA Executive Director Harry Burkholder says staff were “pleasantly surprised” by those estimates, as costs were initially anticipated to be higher. The DDA has roughly $9 million left in its tax increment financing (TIF) 97 plan, one of two TIF plans – along with Old Town TIF – that fund downtown improvements and maintenance. TIF 97 is set to expire in 2027; its extension would require the approval of voters under a charter amendment passed last year. The DDA has been prioritizing the projects it most wants to tackle with the plan’s remaining funds. The top three projects chosen by the board include Rotary Square, the construction of a new farmers market pavilion, and riverwalk improvements.

Though the $2.55 million figure for Rotary Square could change through the design/engineering and construction bid process, Burkholder is optimistic much of the proposed vision for the park could be implemented within the TIF 97 budget. The alley, which is city-owned, would require collaboration with city staff/commissioners and could be a potential future phase of work.

The farmers market pavilion is estimated at $2.5 million – with the DDA budget allocating $2.8 million for that project – while design concepts and cost estimates for the riverwalk are expected in December. The DDA has other projects and programs it also must still fund with TIF 97, but so far remains on track to tackle the three projects – or at least make significant progress in that direction.

“The next step (for Rotary Square) is to finetune the schematic design and hyper-calibrate those costs so we can move ahead in next year’s budget,” Burkholder says. The DDA’s fiscal year runs from July 1-June 30, so the board will be working on its next budget in the spring ahead of a required June adoption by both the DDA board and city commission. If officials give the green light to move forward, park improvements could start happening in mid-to-late 2026, potentially continuing into 2027. An operations/management framework is also in development, according to Burkholder, which will address ongoing park sustainability including programming/events and upkeep.