NEWSPAPERS n o i t i d E l a i c e p S
MARCH 13, 2024 candgnews.com
Oakland County papers
In search of a ‘Marvelous’ home
NEW LOCATION FOR MARVIN’S MARVELOUS MECHANICAL MUSEUM YET TO BE DETERMINED BY MARK VEST mvest@candgnews.com
FARMINGTON HILLS — For more than four decades, Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum has been synonymous with good times and a place to gather with friends and family for many local residents. While that isn’t expected to change anytime soon, the location likely will. Marvin’s is an arcade and museum that is currently located at 31005 Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills. It is located at the Hunter’s Square Shopping Center, at 14 Mile and Orchard Lake roads. At a Feb. 12 Farmington Hills City Council meeting, consideration of approval for the partial redevelopment of the center was unanimously approved. According to the city, the portion of Hunter’s Square that was approved for redevelopment is 186,634 square feet. The shopping center property was recently acquired by Kimco Realty, which is North America’s largest publicly traded real estate investment trust, specializing in grocery-anchored, open-air shopping centers and mixed-use assets, according to its website. At the City Council meeting, a 70,000-square-foot Meijer grocery store was discussed as one of the new tenants that will be moving into that location. “Meijer is one of the big tenants that are moving in, but I am not being displaced for Meijer’s,” said Jeremy Yagoda, who owns Marvin’s. “Meijer’s is just going to be a small grocery store format — it’s not one
ABOVE: According to Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum owner Jeremy Yagoda, pictured with his son, Jonathan, more than 50,000 people have signed a petition in protest of a development that will likely force the business to move. FAR LEFT: Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum will likely have to move from its current location on Orchard Lake Road. NEAR LEFT: Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum features “sensory overload” and “one man’s passion gone wild,” according to the owner. Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
See MARVIN’S on page 10A
Oakland County highlights new park projects, program expansions BY BRENDAN LOSINSKI blosinski@candgnews.com
OAKLAND COUNTY — The Oakland County Parks and Recreation Department is announcing several projects made possible through its $20 million Healthy Communities Park and Outdoor Recreation Investment Plan. In 2022, the department approved the plan, providing
funding for Oakland County to invest in local communities by creating sustainable parks and public spaces. The Oakland County Board of Commissioners and County Executive Dave Coulter approved $15 million from pandemic relief funds the county received as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. Combined with a $5.2 million match from the parks department, this provided the parks system with funds to revitalize and enhance parks located in
or servicing residents of communities most impacted by the pandemic, officials said. During 2023, the parks department developed agreements with local entities identified in the plan, conducted public engagement sessions to gather feedback from residents, and introduced design and engineering plans. In some cases where needs were already clearly identified, improveSee PARKS on page 4A