"We plan around that date, we know it's coming every year. It's a part of Ferndale, it is Ferndale. Pride is Ferndale. How do you move it? How do you change it?" That was Elizabeth McMullen, general manager of Pop's for Italian on Nine Mile, speaking to WXYZ after learning of the change from a city Facebook post. She also said the 2026 Pride was the busiest day in the restaurant's history, bringing in about three times the customers of a normal Saturday.
The city's answer to her question is a road schedule. Since late summer, Ferndale has been reshaping downtown around two things it treats as worth protecting: its busiest evenings and the one event that fills West Nine Mile from curb to curb. The parking rules changed first. Next spring the pavement goes. The payoff is a street built to last two more decades, and the cost is a quieter 2027 spring on the downtown block that usually hosts the biggest party of the year.
A Road Last Paved in 1998 Now Sets the Calendar
On September 28, the City of Ferndale announced the West Nine Mile Reconstruction Project. Work covers Woodward to Pinecrest and starts in spring 2027. That stretch hasn't been repaved since 1998, and the city expects the new surface to last 20 to 25 years. The Oakland County Federal Aid Committee is paying for it through the Transportation Improvement Program and the Surface Transportation Block Grant program, with local funds added. The city says detours may be needed.
The road is Pride's venue. Ferndale Pride is normally held the Saturday after Memorial Day on West Nine Mile, right inside the construction zone and timeline. The city and organizers moved the festival to Saturday, August 7, 2027, so it can keep its usual footprint. According to WXYZ, the same stretch was set to hold 187 booths and three stages on June 5 before the date changed.
Julia Music, Ferndale Pride's executive director, told the station that she welcomes the repaving because the road is in poor condition. The timing still forced a quick change of plans.
"So far it's worked out or people have said 'I can't be there, but I know I have a crew I can send out,' so it will be a little bit different but I think overall everything will work out really nicely for the event." — Julia Music, Ferndale Pride
The city's announcement also includes a detail locals will watch for. The Rainbow Crosswalk will be repainted once the road work is done.
The Parking Change Was the First Move Toward Evenings
The repaving protects the street. A smaller change in August protected the hours. On August 24, the city changed permit parking in the Northeast Quadrant of downtown. Monthly long-term permit holders can no longer park in Lot 13, known as Como's Lot, or Lot 15, the E. Breckenridge Lot, after 5 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
To make up for it, the city created a $30 Employee Peak Hours Permit, the same price as the existing monthly permit. It's valid from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday in these spots:
- On-street spaces on Bermuda St between E. Breckenridge St and Vester St
- On-street spaces on E. Breckenridge St between Woodward Avenue and Bermuda St
- Lot 11, the City Hall Lot
- Lot 1, the West Breckenridge Lot
The city's stated goal is more parking for downtown visitors during the busiest evening hours, while downtown workers still have assigned peak-hours areas. For a resident heading out on a Friday night, the closest lots to the northeast side of Woodward are now set aside for diners instead of all-day permit parking.
Both decisions follow the same logic. Ferndale treats its peak nights and its peak day as the assets, then adjusts the infrastructure around them. That includes moving the event itself when the pavement can't wait any longer.
Sidewalks First, Pavement Next
The repaving isn't the first time this fall that Nine Mile has had crews on it. The city's downtown sidewalk project adds wayfinding and fixes accessibility issues in two phases. The south side was done June 1 through July 31. The north side runs through November 14. When the city announced the project, it said to expect some changes to traffic, parking and walking routes, with most sidewalks staying usable.
Read together, the two projects mean downtown Nine Mile gets new sidewalks this fall and a new road surface next spring. When Pride returns in August 2027, it will be set up on a rebuilt street with fresh walkways and a newly painted Rainbow Crosswalk. The city says the new surface will make downtown events work better and easier to reach.
The Newest Openings Are Off the Construction Block
The places that opened most recently downtown and nearby are all outside the West Nine Mile stretch between Woodward and Pinecrest. That makes them easy stops during a construction spring.
| Spot | Address | What it is | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balam Coffee & Wine | 207 E. Nine Mile Rd. | Coffee and wine | Opened March 16, 2026 |
| Honey Dirt Coffee | 359 Livernois Ave., Ste. 103 | Neighborhood coffee shop | Soft opening May 28; official opening June 2, 2026 |
| Corner Shop | 23337 Woodward Ave. | Coffee, wine and books | Reported as new by Crain's in April 2026 |
| New Delhi Cuisine | 22821 Woodward Ave. | Indian restaurant in the former Rovi Grill space | Opened September 2026 |
Three of the four lean toward daytime and early evening: coffee, wine, books. Honey Dirt's July profile in Metromode described it as a coffee shop built around community. New Delhi Cuisine adds an Indian restaurant to Woodward, a few blocks from the parking changes above.
A Long-Running Woodward Storefront Changes Shape
One familiar address is changing in the opposite direction. Treat Dreams, Scott Moloney's small-batch ice cream shop, opened on Woodward just north of 9 Mile Road in 2010. It announced in an October 1 Facebook post that the flagship would close at the end of October.
The business isn't going away. According to the Detroit Free Press, the Treat Dreams food truck will keep running, and two of the store's team members are starting a baking and ice cream business called Sweets². The truck will carry Sweets² products, and the post says fans will still be able to get the "Kooky Monster" flavor. No location or opening date for Sweets² had been announced as of the October 2 report. Treat Dreams will now show up at events instead of operating from a storefront. For a town that plans its calendar around street events, that shift fits.
The Dates Between Now and August 2027
Here's the sequence, in order:
- Now through November 14, 2026. North-side sidewalk work continues on downtown Nine Mile.
- This fall. The city's ReLeaf program planted 20 new trees at Martin Road Park in late September and plans to plant 75 more this fall.
- Saturday, October 24, 3 to 5 p.m. Trick or Treat in Downtown Ferndale. Participating businesses welcome kids and dogs.
- End of October 2026. Treat Dreams closes its Woodward shop. The truck continues with Sweets² products.
- Spring 2027. West Nine Mile reconstruction begins between Woodward and Pinecrest. The city expects some disruption to downtown activities through spring and summer.
- Saturday, August 7, 2027. Ferndale Pride returns to West Nine Mile on the rebuilt road. The Rainbow Crosswalk will be repainted after the repairs.
The city says it will post more project updates in the coming months at ferndalemi.gov.
A year of downtown changes affects how a street feels to live near, from where you park on a Friday night to which storefront has new owners. If you're curious how Ferndale's next twelve months might affect what your place is worth, The Siciliano Group will walk you through it. Start with an instant home valuation.
