  Detroitman Member Username: Detroitman Post Number: 1072 Registered: 06-2004 |
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20070805/BUS INESS04/708050505/1002/BUSINES S | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 2336 Registered: 07-2004 |
I hope the planners seriously consider creating at least two new east-west streets in the blocks bordered by Conner(W), Kercheval(N), Jefferson(S), and Alter(E), about half of the Fox Creek development. These blocks are entirely too long. Further west near Van Dyke, St. Paul, Agnes, and Lafayette are streets between Kercheval and Jefferson. The distance in the area mentioned above is about the distance between Kercheval and Agnes but with no breaks. The length of these blocks makes walking them or even driving down them prohibitive, which leads to only local use(residents only).This was talked about once before on this forum as it related to Jane Jacobs and her thoughts about walkable neighborhoods. If additional streets aren't added to break up the length of these streets, then no new development is going to help this area of the city. Those who can make the best use of this area are only those who have cars, because you'll need a car to get around. Therefore, all of the $300,000 homes will have to go in this area to make it work. People with that kind of money will have cars to make those long treks to the corner store. BTW, the houses in Freep article look a lot like some of the Victorian mansions in Brush Park, which I like. They look like they are all brick. Therefore, I can only assume that these houses will be in the $300,000 range. | ||
Mayor_sekou Member Username: Mayor_sekou Post Number: 1219 Registered: 09-2006 |
This is good news a much bigger deal than the possibility of a Quicken relocation downtown, this actually addresses the city's biggest issue its neighborhoods. Lets hope this is the first of many developments of its kind. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 3468 Registered: 02-2005 |
I know it is mostly low-income, and I know something is better than nothing here on the far east side, but please, please, let's have some good design. Simple facades, with garages in the back, and porches coming out close to the sidewalk. Royce, I agree about adding sidestreets. | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 2093 Registered: 02-2007 |
gentrification at its beginning stages. (Message edited by Urbanize on August 05, 2007) | ||
Defendbrooklyn Member Username: Defendbrooklyn Post Number: 384 Registered: 11-2005 |
It seems good thus far...Who is going to be living in $300,000 homes? I wish i could afford one. THe other side must be nice. | ||
Unclefrank Member Username: Unclefrank Post Number: 71 Registered: 03-2006 |
I agree, who is going to buy all these homes? | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 2095 Registered: 02-2007 |
^^^Hopefully some Suburbanites, but it's only a dream. | ||
Scottr Member Username: Scottr Post Number: 667 Registered: 07-2006 |
Nice to see that the designs aren't your average suburban cookie-cutter homes. I am a bit concerned about building so many homes when so many already on the market can't be sold. But it sounds like a great development for the city. | ||
Supersport Member Username: Supersport Post Number: 11653 Registered: 10-2003 |
I'm glad to see they're brick! Brick construction holds up over time, and doesn't get dated like other materials. | ||
Irish_mafia Member Username: Irish_mafia Post Number: 969 Registered: 10-2003 |
This is a rehash of a four year old story. | ||
Meaghansdad Member Username: Meaghansdad Post Number: 24 Registered: 07-2007 |
One reason I would see adding adding new E/W streets would be to add loft/apartment style housing facing these streets. I grew up on Alter/Kercheval, and walked the length of this street 3-4 times a day. It truly isnt as long as some would have you think. Conversely, adding some E/W streets would give some interesting community/meeting/green spaces,(maybe even some small boulevards) and to add some small, community based retail for the neighborhoods elderly population. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 262 Registered: 11-2003 |
Agreed Meaghansdad - I grew up in almost the same area save for the dividing line (Wayburn/Kercheval), and the blocks are not bad at all as far as length. As someone who has "elderly population" (he'd kick my butt for saying that - LOL) in that area that's family, I think you're completely right and it would be useful. I'm glad to see something that's been a rumour in that neighborhood for years look like it's actually going to happen. The other thing to note - it said priced from 65k to 300k - 65k is extremely affordable. I'm glad to see mixed development like that. | ||
Michigansheik Member Username: Michigansheik Post Number: 224 Registered: 09-2005 |
decent incentives?!?! | ||
Diehard Member Username: Diehard Post Number: 96 Registered: 03-2005 |
The new duplexes along Alter already are a good start. If they're honest about not just "eminent domaining" current residents out to build yuppie houses, that's welcome news. Nobody's gonna cry if a bunch of burned-out crackhouses get knocked down to build condos, as long as they respect the legit homeowners already there. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 3470 Registered: 02-2005 |
Great example of mixed development. The even better thing is that here, in 2007, we finally understand slum revival. No longer will we level whatever is left and build "towers in the park" or low-quality, quirky modern buildings to "test" on the poor people...here we will build in a traditional manner, with multiple housing formats, creating normal urban density, and apparently preserving homes that are already there. This is a good plan. Irish, this is not old news. Yes the first stories about the far east master plan were as many as 4 years ago, but now there are developers will blueprints and money in hand. Ground has been broken in some areas. Who will this all be marketed to? The aim should be the black middle/working-lower class, who have been inclined to move to inner burbs recently. This could put a stop on that, although I worry that more of Detroit's black middle/working class is concentrated on the west side and leaving in a NW direction. This side of town has just plain fewer people. These developments need to be heavily marketed across the city. Who else will move in? I would look at the demographic of renters in western GP Park...it is a diverse group of working class folk living in these rather affordable rentals. Occupancy is quite high here. The aim should be to expand that market (or tap into it), get a diverse crowd of workers to rent in Detroit, and successfully re-create the landscape that used to be in place...where lower East Detroit could hardly be differentiated from the first 5 blocks of GP Park. And who knows, maybe an immigrant community will be formed here. I think that would be great. Perhaps flyers should be handed out by the developers down at INS on Mt. Elliot. Now if only we could go back in time and rebuild the Mack-Alter plaza so that it doesn't look like Madison Heights... | ||
Pgn421 Member Username: Pgn421 Post Number: 99 Registered: 02-2005 |
What about where the old trailer park was. we all got eviction notices 5 years ago. Nothing has been done. i heard there was going to be condos there. Some of the investors pulled out. | ||
Steelworker Member Username: Steelworker Post Number: 952 Registered: 02-2004 |
what was it like living in that trailer park?? | ||
Dds Member Username: Dds Post Number: 303 Registered: 10-2006 |
Boy it'll be funny seeing all the people who buy the $300,000 homes walking to the Texas Bar at 7am to have their first bracer with the rest of the regulars. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 3472 Registered: 02-2005 |
Pgn, you were evicted, as opposed to bought out? Were the trailers on rented space, such that if someone bought out the land owner you all had to leave? I think that spot would be great for a high-rise luxury apartment building. ...hate to be so in your face with my talk of gentrification. | ||
3420 Member Username: 3420 Post Number: 124 Registered: 10-2003 |
Wait till you see the rest of the northeast side take off. Its going to be beautiful. And if you are wondering what I'm talking about its the area near the incenerator that looks like we been at war for years. This is why Detroit will be my home and my future family home. This is what we need. Nice neighborhoods. | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 2101 Registered: 02-2007 |
It's all Gentrification. Once that step occurs, most cities usually head in the right path because it's usually Middle-Class Families who are involved in this and occupy the neighborhoods. Look at Atlanta and San Francisco (awaits criticism). | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1359 Registered: 10-2006 |
3,000 sure is a lot of homes. Isn't that more than the number of new homes permits in Detroit in all of 2006? Seems like quite an ambitious number. | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 2102 Registered: 02-2007 |
I don't care. It will fill up all those vacant lots with Urban Style Density and homes. Even if, if you just build them, someone will occupy the homes eventually. | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 2103 Registered: 02-2007 |
Only glitch I see is the areas near the Continental Plant not getting built because of how much it will cost to clean that land. | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 1207 Registered: 02-2006 |
It's 3000 homes in the next 10 years That's not an overly large or particularly ambitious number at all, though it is ambitious for that area. Great start though, and a good area for it. | ||
Pgn421 Member Username: Pgn421 Post Number: 100 Registered: 02-2005 |
steelworker: I had what i called my cottage there. I didnt live there all the time. It was quiet. Most of the people were on a fixed income. Older, we had a good time down there. Unless people came through, looking for trouble. Other than that, it was nice, i wish i was still down there. | ||
Jfried Member Username: Jfried Post Number: 1029 Registered: 11-2003 |
Urbanize - over & over you prove to have the most ironic username. Do you know what gentrificaiton is? Commonly, it's considered the restoration and upgrading of deteriorated urban property by middle-class or affluent people, often resulting in displacement of lower-income people. No one is being displaced here. The plan for this area from the get go has been to work with the existing residents who have stuck it out, and build the neighborhood around them. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1362 Registered: 10-2006 |
I do love that the rendering shows a billboard in it--keepin' it urban... | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 2104 Registered: 02-2007 |
Yes, but that's often, not always. This case would be one of a few exceptions (at least as we know so far). The type of development of course is Middle-Class Style development in an Urban Environment. In addition, many lower-class residents CHOOSE to leave because they can't hang. No one displaced them. They have ordinances and other ways to get around that, but it still would be considered Gentrification. So this is Gentrification. Many of the places are even selling for Middle-Class Wealth. (Message edited by Urbanize on August 05, 2007) |
