In Pontiac, historic neighborhoods are key to city’s revival
Pontiac's historic neighborhoods are not only testaments to the city's former economic and industrial might, but also to its potential for future redevelopment.
Neighborhoods
Our coverage of activities happening at the neighborhood level as told by the neighbors themselves. Coverage of the characteristics of given neighborhoods.
Latest in Neighborhoods
Detroit’s Midtown one of 10 best up-and-coming neighborhoods, says USA Today
USA Today mentioned Detroit's Midtown in the same breath as must-visit (or must-live) neighborhoods in Portland, New Orleans, Santa Fe, and the like. Excerpt: "The heart of the city, Detroit's Midtown is rapidly developing into a surprisingly well-rounded residential area while featuring an abundance of restaurants, galleries, community gardens and markets. Dedicated local entrepreneurs have made Midtown an attractive hub for small businesses with high-end shops like Hugh and Nora, eateries like Maccabee's at Midtown and Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company and Shinola, which makes American-made bicycles, watches, leather goods and journals. Midtown is at the core of the city's M-1 Rail development and non-motorized transportation plans will soon connect the district to Eastern Market and other neighborhoods via greenways and bike paths." More here.
Meet Catalysts for Neighborhood Growth
The people and places behind innovation and jobs are where we can really take the pulse of statewide recovery. Take a look inside at case studies in three cities that put a human face on community engagement and economic growth.
Age-friendly, plug-in ready neighborhood planned for Auburn Hills
A residential development in Auburn Hills is planned to be much more than another new subdivision. The Parkways, a project of The Moceri Companies, is meant to create public use spaces, become an entry into the city's emerging downtown district, promote alternative electric vehicle usage and offer specially-designed multi-generational housing in one neighborhood. City officials say the mix of housing styles and design of the neighborhood keep in mind the city's goals of offering more "age-friendly" and senior living options and promoting the inclusion of alternative energy technology in new construction. The Parkways is also believed to be the largest residential development in Michigan to wire all property with electric vehicle plug-ins. "This project was intentionally designed to meet Auburn Hills’ formal commitment to become an Age-Friendly Community with a variety of housing opportunities, parks, sidewalks and complete street considerations,” says Steven Cohen, director of community development for the city of Auburn Hills. “This private investment by The Moceri Companies to build a multi-generational development is a huge victory for the city. It’s a game changer for Downtown Auburn Hills.” As for electric vehicle wiring, Cohen says, "If considered when a project is first built, preparing for electric vehicles is very easy and inexpensive. By prepping these garages with proper wiring, new residents within this development will only need to add a charging station on the wall if they buy or lease an electric vehicle. It’s like adding a garage door opener and the costs are now very similar. Having proper infrastructure in place will help this technology succeed. It just takes forward thinking.” The Parkways will be made up of 76 townhouse, 72 stacked, flat units and a three-story 160-unit senior care complex. The market value of The Parkways, which will be built on 21.5 acres of property west of Adams road and north of the Clinton River Trail, is expected to be $75 million. Previous plans for a major housing development by another company foundered during the recession, and the property went into foreclosure and then back into the city's hands. A partnership with the city and Moceri means part of the land will become a two-acre public park and the major road through the property will be designed as a boulevard an eastern gateway into downtown Auburn Hills, where major projects such as student housing, will be completed soon. Construction on the first of five phases is scheduled to being in the spring of 2014 and be completed by the end of 2017. Source: City of Auburn Hills Writer: Kim North Shine
The Sparrows welcomes community, grows with Wealthy Street neighborhood
Inspired by the gathering places of early 20th century writers and poets in Russia, Lori Slager and two friends set out to make a coffee shop in Grand Rapids where they'd want to hangout. Now, The Sparrows is the gathering space for neighbors and has been a catalyst for more neighborhood growth.
Upper Floor Housing Rehabs Spur Neighborhood Growth
When shopping in your favorite downtown store, ever wonder what's upstairs? For decades, the answer has been "not much" for many Michigan cities. Take a look at how that trend is changing across the state, in communities like Manistee, Portland and Detroit's Eastern Market, where local property owners are redefining downtowns by reviving upper floor residences.
The Artists’ Touch: How creatives’ investments in upper floor housing built a neighborhood
There’s something different about the Eastern Market neighborhood of Detroit. It’s evident today in the creative investment happening on Gratiot just north of Russell, where a beautiful Art Deco building is being brought back to life, inside and out. The project continues a trend that began on the same block more than 30 years ago when upper floor housing first made an appearance in the neighborhood. Now, the residents living in Eastern Market make the mixed-use area uniquely vibrant, spurring increased redevelopment.
A better generational mix of people makes for a better neighborhood
Look around your neighborhood. What do you see? If it's mostly people that look like you -particularly with regard to age - then you (and your community) are missing out. Or so says writer Sarah Goodyear. Excerpt: "The segregation of generations goes deeper than just the swaddling of children in a cocoon of safety, though. In a society obsessed with aging, too often the generations are kept apart by prejudice and stereotypes. Young people are scared of getting old. Old people are scared of being inconvenienced. The debate over strollers in pubs seems to be never-ending here in New York, with a lot of young adults saying they don’t want to be disturbed by little kids (my opinion on a reasonable position echoes that of many commenters on this New York Times piece: In a decent place that serves food as well as booze, at reasonable times of day, there’s no reason to exclude families that are responsible about their own and their children’s behavior). Outside the city, many gated communities geared toward retirees won’t sell to anyone younger than 50, or 55, or 60. Presumably even a rowdy 45-year-old could upset the equilibrium. To quote one website marketing such a community: " Read the rest here.
Detroit’s Midtown one of 10 best up-and-coming neighborhoods, says USA Today
USA Today mentioned Detroit's Midtown in the same breath as must-visit (or must-live) neighborhoods in Portland, New Orleans, Santa Fe, and the like. Excerpt: "The heart of the city, Detroit's Midtown is rapidly developing into a surprisingly well-rounded residential area while featuring an abundance of restaurants, galleries, community gardens and markets. Dedicated local entrepreneurs have made Midtown an attractive hub for small businesses with high-end shops like Hugh and Nora, eateries like Maccabee's at Midtown and Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company and Shinola, which makes American-made bicycles, watches, leather goods and journals. Midtown is at the core of the city's M-1 Rail development and non-motorized transportation plans will soon connect the district to Eastern Market and other neighborhoods via greenways and bike paths." More here.
Meet Catalysts for Neighborhood Growth
The people and places behind innovation and jobs are where we can really take the pulse of statewide recovery. Take a look inside at case studies in three cities that put a human face on community engagement and economic growth.
Age-friendly, plug-in ready neighborhood planned for Auburn Hills
A residential development in Auburn Hills is planned to be much more than another new subdivision. The Parkways, a project of The Moceri Companies, is meant to create public use spaces, become an entry into the city's emerging downtown district, promote alternative electric vehicle usage and offer specially-designed multi-generational housing in one neighborhood. City officials say the mix of housing styles and design of the neighborhood keep in mind the city's goals of offering more "age-friendly" and senior living options and promoting the inclusion of alternative energy technology in new construction. The Parkways is also believed to be the largest residential development in Michigan to wire all property with electric vehicle plug-ins. "This project was intentionally designed to meet Auburn Hills’ formal commitment to become an Age-Friendly Community with a variety of housing opportunities, parks, sidewalks and complete street considerations,” says Steven Cohen, director of community development for the city of Auburn Hills. “This private investment by The Moceri Companies to build a multi-generational development is a huge victory for the city. It’s a game changer for Downtown Auburn Hills.” As for electric vehicle wiring, Cohen says, "If considered when a project is first built, preparing for electric vehicles is very easy and inexpensive. By prepping these garages with proper wiring, new residents within this development will only need to add a charging station on the wall if they buy or lease an electric vehicle. It’s like adding a garage door opener and the costs are now very similar. Having proper infrastructure in place will help this technology succeed. It just takes forward thinking.” The Parkways will be made up of 76 townhouse, 72 stacked, flat units and a three-story 160-unit senior care complex. The market value of The Parkways, which will be built on 21.5 acres of property west of Adams road and north of the Clinton River Trail, is expected to be $75 million. Previous plans for a major housing development by another company foundered during the recession, and the property went into foreclosure and then back into the city's hands. A partnership with the city and Moceri means part of the land will become a two-acre public park and the major road through the property will be designed as a boulevard an eastern gateway into downtown Auburn Hills, where major projects such as student housing, will be completed soon. Construction on the first of five phases is scheduled to being in the spring of 2014 and be completed by the end of 2017. Source: City of Auburn Hills Writer: Kim North Shine
The Sparrows welcomes community, grows with Wealthy Street neighborhood
Inspired by the gathering places of early 20th century writers and poets in Russia, Lori Slager and two friends set out to make a coffee shop in Grand Rapids where they'd want to hangout. Now, The Sparrows is the gathering space for neighbors and has been a catalyst for more neighborhood growth.
Upper Floor Housing Rehabs Spur Neighborhood Growth
When shopping in your favorite downtown store, ever wonder what's upstairs? For decades, the answer has been "not much" for many Michigan cities. Take a look at how that trend is changing across the state, in communities like Manistee, Portland and Detroit's Eastern Market, where local property owners are redefining downtowns by reviving upper floor residences.
The Artists’ Touch: How creatives’ investments in upper floor housing built a neighborhood
There’s something different about the Eastern Market neighborhood of Detroit. It’s evident today in the creative investment happening on Gratiot just north of Russell, where a beautiful Art Deco building is being brought back to life, inside and out. The project continues a trend that began on the same block more than 30 years ago when upper floor housing first made an appearance in the neighborhood. Now, the residents living in Eastern Market make the mixed-use area uniquely vibrant, spurring increased redevelopment.
A better generational mix of people makes for a better neighborhood
Look around your neighborhood. What do you see? If it's mostly people that look like you -particularly with regard to age - then you (and your community) are missing out. Or so says writer Sarah Goodyear. Excerpt: "The segregation of generations goes deeper than just the swaddling of children in a cocoon of safety, though. In a society obsessed with aging, too often the generations are kept apart by prejudice and stereotypes. Young people are scared of getting old. Old people are scared of being inconvenienced. The debate over strollers in pubs seems to be never-ending here in New York, with a lot of young adults saying they don’t want to be disturbed by little kids (my opinion on a reasonable position echoes that of many commenters on this New York Times piece: In a decent place that serves food as well as booze, at reasonable times of day, there’s no reason to exclude families that are responsible about their own and their children’s behavior). Outside the city, many gated communities geared toward retirees won’t sell to anyone younger than 50, or 55, or 60. Presumably even a rowdy 45-year-old could upset the equilibrium. To quote one website marketing such a community: " Read the rest here.
