Fairlane Green
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedFairlane Green is a power center in Allen Park, Michigan, developed in phases on a former clay-mining and landfill site.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Fairlane Green is a large open-air power center in Allen Park, Michigan, within the Downriver portion of the Detroit metropolitan area. Locally, the development is also known as “The Hill,” a reference to its elevated position. The center is notable not only as a retail destination but also for the unusual redevelopment history of its site: the property was formerly associated with clay extraction and landfill use before being converted into a commercial complex. The project was conceived as part of a broader effort to create a southern gateway to the Fairlane corridor connecting Allen Park and Dearborn. That corridor includes the larger Fairlane Town Center mall and other commercial development. Planning began in December 2002, when Ford Land Development, the real-estate arm of Ford Motor Company, obtained a special-use permit to redevelop land extending between Outer Drive, Snow Avenue, Oakwood Boulevard, M-39 and Interstate 94. The original proposal included retail and recreational components. A revised plan received approval in August 2003. In May 2004, the portion of the broader site containing the former Allen Park Veterans Administration Medical Center was sold to Lormax Stern and REDICO. That parcel became Independence Marketplace, while the Fairlane Green project proceeded on the remaining commercial site. Fairlane Green opened incrementally rather than in a single launch. The first phase, Fairlane Green I, opened to the public in late 2005, with Target becoming its first major tenant on October 9, 2005. Other retailers followed, including businesses that relocated from the nearby Lincoln Park Shopping Center. The second phase, Fairlane Green II, opened in 2007 with Meijer, Best Buy, LA Fitness and The Home Depot among its principal occupants. Planned recreational facilities associated with this phase were never completed. Over time, the tenant mix changed in response to store closures, bankruptcies, rebranding and local financial-service demand. Cost Plus World Market closed in 2010 and was replaced by Five Below; that space was later reduced to accommodate Dollar Tree. Pier 1 Imports and Bed Bath & Beyond departed after their respective corporate bankruptcies and were replaced by Rally House and Burlington. A TCF Bank branch was rebranded as Huntington Bank in 2021. Fairlane Green occupies an elevated site from which visitors may see portions of downtown Detroit’s skyline, as well as the Ambassador Bridge and Gordie Howe International Bridge, when visibility permits. Its location near major roads makes it a significant retail node for surrounding communities, although traffic congestion, especially during the holiday season, has been a recurring visitor concern. The center has also been associated with proposed changes in mobility and future development. Electrify America announced in October 2020 that it intended to build a direct-current fast-charging station in the Meijer parking lot, but the project was ultimately not completed. Meijer provides four low-power J1772 charging points for shoppers. Future plans described for the property include additional phases, new access points on Oakwood Boulevard and Southfield Road, a southern pad site, and a proposed northeast development containing a large-format store, gas station and additional commercial spaces. As of the reference material’s May 2026 status description, Fairlane Green III was under construction and Fairlane Green IV remained in planning without confirmed tenants.
History
Fairlane Green developed from a municipal and commercial redevelopment effort focused on a former clay-mining and landfill site in Allen Park, Michigan. Before the project, Allen Park had limited large-scale retail outside its downtown area. The nearby Lincoln Park Shopping Center was an important retail destination, although most of that center was located in neighboring Lincoln Park rather than Allen Park. Ford Land Development began the Fairlane Green process in December 2002 after receiving a special-use permit to redevelop land extending from Outer Drive and Snow Avenue toward Oakwood Boulevard, alongside M-39 and Interstate 94. Ford Land envisioned the project as an anchor for the southern entrance to the Fairlane commercial corridor linking Allen Park with Dearborn. The original concept included both commercial and recreational uses, and the proposal received approval in August 2003. A related change occurred in May 2004, when the part of the property containing the former Allen Park Veterans Administration Medical Center was sold to Lormax Stern and REDICO. That area became Independence Marketplace, while Fairlane Green continued as a separate retail development. Construction on the two developments began during the following months. Fairlane Green opened in stages. The first phase, Fairlane Green I, began welcoming customers in late 2005. Target opened on October 9, 2005, as the first tenant, followed by additional stores and several businesses that moved from the Lincoln Park Shopping Center. The center’s elevated topography led local residents to call it “The Hill.” The site also provides views toward downtown Detroit and the international bridges connecting the Detroit region with Windsor, Ontario, subject to weather and visibility. The second phase, Fairlane Green II, opened in 2007. Its initial major tenants included Meijer, Best Buy, LA Fitness and The Home Depot. Recreational components originally associated with the phase were not built. Subsequent tenant changes reflected wider retail-sector restructuring. Cost Plus World Market departed in 2010 and its space was taken by Five Below, which was later reduced to make room for Dollar Tree. Pier 1 Imports and Bed Bath & Beyond left after their corporate bankruptcies, with Rally House and Burlington later occupying replacement spaces. The center’s TCF Bank branch was converted to a Huntington Bank branch in 2021. The property has continued to evolve through proposed infrastructure and expansion plans. In 2020, Electrify America announced a DC fast-charging station for the Meijer parking lot. The installation would have been an early public fast-charging facility in the Downriver area, but it was canceled without a public announcement. Meijer continued to offer four J1772 charging points operating at 3 kW for customers while shopping. Later plans described a third phase on the northwest portion of the property and a fourth phase on the northeast side. Fairlane Green III was reported as under construction in the reference material dated May 2026, with new access points planned on Oakwood Boulevard and Southfield Road to address projected traffic. Fairlane Green IV was described as a planning-stage project centered on a nearly 100,000-square-foot big-box store, a gas station and three additional commercial spaces. A separate 2.384-acre southern pad was also identified as being in early planning. These projects, tenant vacancies and traffic works indicate that Fairlane Green remains an active but changing suburban retail complex.
- 2026
Third phase reported under construction
[1]Reference material dated May 2026 described Fairlane Green III as under construction and Fairlane Green IV as still in planning.
- 2023
Best Buy closes
[1]Best Buy closed its Fairlane Green location on March 4.
- 2021
TCF Bank location rebranded
[1]The center’s TCF Bank branch became a Huntington Bank branch.
- 2020
Proposed Electrify America station announced
[1]Electrify America announced a planned DC fast-charging station at Meijer; the installation was later canceled.
- 2010
Cost Plus World Market closes
[1]Cost Plus World Market departed and was replaced by Five Below, which was later downsized for Dollar Tree.
- 2007
Fairlane Green II opens
[1]The second phase opened with Meijer, Best Buy, LA Fitness and The Home Depot among its major tenants.
- 2005
Fairlane Green I opens
[1]The first phase began opening in late 2005, with Target launching on October 9.
- 2004
Related parcel sold to Lormax Stern and REDICO
[1]The parcel containing the former Allen Park Veterans Administration Medical Center was sold and subsequently developed as Independence Marketplace.
- 2003
Original commercial and recreational proposal approved
[1]The project proposal, including retail and planned recreational elements, received approval in August.
- 2002
Ford Land Development receives a redevelopment permit
[1]Ford Land Development obtained a special-use permit to redevelop the former clay-mine and landfill area that would become Fairlane Green.
Products and positioning
A convenient, highway-accessible suburban power center serving Allen Park and the wider Downriver Detroit market, with a mix of big-box retail, discount stores, home-improvement merchants, fitness, restaurants and financial services.
General merchandise · 2005
Target
Target was the first major tenant to open at Fairlane Green, launching on October 9, 2005. Its general-merchandise format helped establish the first phase as a broad suburban shopping destination.
Supercenter and grocery · 2007
Meijer
Meijer was one of the anchor tenants of Fairlane Green II when the second phase opened in 2007. The store combines grocery retail with general merchandise and also provides customer-use electric-vehicle charging points.
Home improvement · 2007
The Home Depot
The Home Depot formed part of the original Fairlane Green II tenant lineup. Its large-format home-improvement operation complements the center’s grocery, general-merchandise and discount retail uses.
Fitness services · 2007
LA Fitness
LA Fitness opened as one of the principal occupants of the second phase, adding a membership-based fitness and recreation service to the power-center tenant mix.
Off-price apparel and home goods
Burlington
Burlington replaced a former Bed Bath & Beyond location after that retailer’s bankruptcy-related closure. The off-price format adds apparel, accessories and household merchandise to Fairlane Green.
Sports apparel and merchandise
Rally House
Rally House replaced a former Pier 1 Imports location following Pier 1’s bankruptcy-related departure. Its format focuses on sports apparel, gifts and fan merchandise.
Brand decisions
2026
Planned expansion through Fairlane Green III and IVStrategyBackground
The property has experienced traffic pressure and changing tenant demand, while additional commercial capacity remains planned on its northwest and northeast sides.
Action taken
Plans described in the reference material include construction of Fairlane Green III, additional entrances on Oakwood Boulevard and Southfield Road, and a future Fairlane Green IV with a large-format store, gas station and three additional spaces.
Aftermath
The projects are intended to add retail capacity and improve vehicle access, although tenants and final development timing were not fully confirmed in the available material.
2020
Cancelation of proposed DC fast-charging stationOtherBackground
Electrify America announced plans for a DC fast-charging installation in the Meijer parking lot, which would have added public high-speed charging to the Downriver area.
Action taken
The proposed station was ultimately canceled without a public announcement. Meijer retained four lower-power J1772 chargers for shoppers.
Aftermath
Fairlane Green did not receive the announced public DC fast-charging facility, leaving the center with limited customer-use charging infrastructure.
Recent events
Sources2 sources
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