Urban Orchard in East Detroit Trying to Be a Good Neighbor

When Wolverine Human Services bought 11 acres of East Detroit planning to remove abandoned houses for a U-Pick Orchard, neighbors protested. Now they've pivoted and aim to provide a resource to the community rather than run an agro-business.

1 minute read

May 17, 2017, 2:00 PM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Apple Orchard

iyd39 / Shutterstock

East Detroit has lost many people. About a third of the homes, many of which were built in the 1960s, are empty. So resident, Glen Jones, had long hoped that someone would build a house or a business in the vacant lots near his home. "When he and other residents saw renderings of an 11-acre redevelopment project that would instead convert the vacant land into one of the city’s first large-scale U-pick orchards featuring the Michigan apple, they balked," Serena Maria Daniels writes in Next City.

Wolverine Human Services, who had bought the land, looked to make something more consistent with their neighbors’ wishes; including shrinking the orchard down to a half acre, and providing employment opportunities for people in the neighborhood. "Planting is pending approval from the city to rezone the area for farm use, which Wolverine expects later this month," Daniels reports.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 in Next City

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3, 2025 - Governing

White park shuttles with large Zion logo on side and red rock cliffs in background in Zion National Park.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”

Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

2 hours ago - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Chart of federal transportation funding comparing Biden and Trump administration spending.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden

Funds for Safe Streets and other transportation safety and equity programs are being held up by administrative reviews and conflicts with the Trump administration’s priorities.

3 hours ago - Transportation for America

Close-up on yellow and black TAXI sign on top of beige car in central Munich, Germany.

German Cities Subsidize Taxis for Women Amid Wave of Violence

Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.

4 hours ago - Bloomberg