Community members who have supported and waited for the boardwalk to open are left asking why we’re in this place yet again. The $44 million alleged embezzlement by a high-ranking financial officer has thrown a wrench in a project that was already balancing limited resources. Marc Pasco, director of communications for the Conservancy, acknowledged this setback. Pasco explained that the boardwalk’s opening has been delayed in order to cut costs. A proposed temporary asphalt path that would have connected the boardwalk to other parts of the RiverWalk has now been canceled. According to Pasco, maintaining this temporary path and keeping it secure until the boardwalk could fully open was not financially feasible, especially after the nonprofit was hit with these recent allegations of fraud.
“Every greenway, the Riverwalk, everything we do, there’s a cost associated with professional services,” Pasco noted. “From the construction and security to planting flowers, shoveling the snow, and keeping it accessible and in working order.” For Detroiters who have waited patiently for their riverside community space to fully open, this explanation may feel insufficient, but it does shed light on the complex landscape of public projects. Despite Detroit’s ongoing renaissance, our public spaces still face a struggle to thrive amid financial and operational challenges.
Pasco also pointed to other factors that make the delay more logical in the organization’s eyes, such as decreased pedestrian traffic during the winter months and an upcoming resurfacing of Jefferson Avenue that would have impacted the asphalt pathway. “Looking at those factors all together,” he said, “we decided that it was best to open that stretch of RiverWalk when we can celebrate the opening of Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park in the fall of 2025.” He explained that by waiting until next year, the Conservancy could open both the boardwalk and the Centennial Park simultaneously, making the riverfront’s unveiling a much larger community event.
This kind of scandal hits hard in a city like Detroit, where residents know all too well what it means to be promised resources, only to have them redirected or misused. When funds intended for the community are mismanaged, it’s not just a line item or a statistic. It’s a delay of spaces designed to bring our communities together, and a setback for everyone who sees the riverfront as a place to gather, relax, and feel part of a more connected Detroit.
With mounting financial pressures, the Conservancy had to make tough choices. The hope was to open the boardwalk this past summer, allowing pedestrians and cyclists access through a newly completed 1,800-foot stretch of the RiverWalk. However, this stretch of the RiverWalk, located on land owned by the Downtown Development Authority, lacks a direct link to the main pathways due to the cancellation of the temporary connector. That would have allowed pedestrians to exit to Jefferson Avenue and connect with the Southwest Greenway until Centennial Park’s completion.
The Conservancy did manage to offer a small preview of the boardwalk this past June, exclusively for residents of the nearby Riverfront Towers. This preview provided a glimpse into the promise the boardwalk holds, but also highlighted the disappointment felt by community members who expected a much larger public opening by now. In a letter to Riverfront Towers residents, Pasco acknowledged the Conservancy’s original intent to secure the site and lay down the temporary path, but stressed that the nonprofit’s operating budget, deeply affected by the fraud case, did not support a public opening this year.
“The decision to delay the opening of the boardwalk and newest stretch of RiverWalk just west of it is simply the result of our cost/benefit analysis given seasonality and upcoming construction on Jefferson,” a\Pasco wrote in an email to Crain’s. Reflecting on the delayed opening, he added that the Conservancy should have done a better job of clearly communicating the reasons behind the decision. For Detroiters who are left waiting, clear communication is key—it allows the public to better understand the challenges and makes it easier to stay invested in a project when there’s transparency.
As the financial pieces fall into place, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan has stepped up to assist, bringing in $35 million in new philanthropic commitments to help complete the Centennial Park project and other riverfront initiatives. Of that total, the Community Foundation has pledged to raise $25 million, reinforcing its commitment to seeing Detroit’s riverfront development through to completion. In addition, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation has seeded a $10 million grant for The Detroit Fund for Public Spaces, specifically set up to support the Conservancy’s ongoing riverfront work, with a $25 million loan guarantee to help ensure funding stability for contractors working on these projects.
Despite these philanthropic efforts, it’s important to note that the Foundation’s support doesn’t cover all aspects of the RiverWalk’s maintenance or programming. Ric DeVore, President and CEO of the Community Foundation, clarified that their support focuses on project completion rather than the ongoing management or programming of these public spaces, leaving the Conservancy with the challenge of balancing their responsibilities amidst financial constraints.
As Detroit waits for the riverfront to finally be unveiled, residents are left with both anticipation and questions. Who’s accountable when community resources get tangled in fraud? And how can we prevent this from happening again? Detroiters deserve transparency and trustworthiness from the organizations that oversee public resources. At the end of the day, the riverfront isn’t just another development project; it’s a symbol of community pride and resilience—a space where people from every part of Detroit can gather, reconnect, and celebrate our city’s beauty.
For now, we wait. Detroiters remain hopeful that the RiverWalk’s full vision will come to life. We know that our city’s public spaces are worth the wait and that, in time, Detroit’s riverfront will fully reflect the spirit and strength of the community that continues to uplift it.
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