NORTHVILLE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – The Northville City Council has unanimously voted to move forward with plans for a river park.

The city will pay $8.9 million to BNC Earthmovers LLC to create a new riverbed and demolish a concrete culvert that has been in place for decades.

City Manager George Lahanas says this project will serve the city well for many years.

“Now, this river park is being stripped of soil. We’ve already demolished the old barns and removed the asphalt. This project will also remove the contaminated soil. That will all be inspected to make sure that was done and then taken to the appropriate landfill,” Lahanas said. “Then they will build a river channel and a natural river bank for the river. When that’s completed, the river will be diverted out of this concrete culvert and returned to its natural state on the river banks for the future.”

Several homeowners have expressed concerns about the project, with many fearing that dust could affect air quality and that the work will require a lot of equipment.

City leaders, on the other hand, say a lot of research has been done to ensure the project is handled correctly and with safety as a top priority. The council also requests constant updates on the project, just in case

“We’ve heard some concerns about dust. There can be dust during construction. We’ve made tremendous efforts as a city and together with the developer to ensure that the impact on our residents is as minimal as possible,” Lahanas said.