A 2.5-acre park at the center of a pentagon-shaped area of new development will be included. The park, split into two rectangular sections perpendicular to each other, would be a great area to launch a renaissance, says an official with the Detroit 300 Conservancy.

Bob Gregory, the conservancy project manager, tells GlobeSt.com the area around the center of Downtown has deteriorated.

"The office market around there is just really bad," Gregory says. "This park will be the keystone to taking a confusing intersection now and making it into the heart of the Downtown."

He says the park, which his company is constructing, will feature programmed activities and entertainment, and will act as a catalyst to attract new development.

"The park would mirror areas like Rockefeller Square in New York City, with a skating rink and other activities. It will feature green space and lush flower gardens. This will be something that can bring pedestrians back into Downtown Detroit," Gregory says.

The park would feature up to 150 events per year, he says. It's going to cost $8 million to build the park by early 2004. A $3.4 endowment fund would maintain the park, he tells GlobeSt.com.

Kern Woodward Associates was awarded the Campus Martius project by the city. The partnership consists of Schostak Brothers & Company, Sterling Group, and Melvin Butch Hollowell, a Detroit activist and partner in the law firm of Butzel Long.

The following components make up the Campus Martius project:

* Above the present Kennedy garage will be a 15-story office building.

* The Hudson Block features a 12-story class-A office building. A world-class hotel is proposed for the Farmer Street side of the block opposite the existing Downtown Library.

* The location for Compuware Corporate Headquarters is the Kern Block, a 1.2-million-sf facility that will occupy a significant portion of Campus Martius. As part of the project, computer giant Compuware will move into a new 16-story, $350-million headquarters building in Downtown Detroit starting this fall.

* The Crowley Block will contain the parking needed to accommodate the CompuWare World headquarters, along with street level retail space.

* Monroe Block includes a building with 12 floors of class-A office space, along with retail and entertainment space in this high profile corner of Campus Martius.