Neighborhoods

Our coverage of activities happening at the neighborhood level as told by the neighbors themselves. Coverage of the characteristics of given neighborhoods.

GREEN SPACE: Opportunity for public input into LEED for neighborhood development

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Environment & Sustainability

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December 4, 2008

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has emerged as the go-to measuring stick for a building's greenness. It's not that it doesn't have its critics, but it is a standard that continues to evolve.In that vein, LEED's proud parent, the United States Green Building Council, is birthing a new child, one that does not just look at one building or one development. Their new LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system utilizes the principles of smart growth, new urbanism and green building to create the first ever standard that attempts to quantify the sustainability of a neighborhood. This rating system being presented builds upon 240 neighborhoods that were monitored since summer 2007; ultimately, 18 have been certified. It looks at brownfield redevelopment, pedestrian- and bike-friendly infrastructure, energy effiency,and a lot more -- it's 127 pages, FYI. Now the public is invited to comment on the draft -- at least until January 5; to do so, visit this website. To learn more about LEED as a whole, read this article.Here's your chance to give those LEED-ers an earful. Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Latest in Neighborhoods

Dream homes in dream neighborhoods may now be affordable

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Arts & Culture

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October 30, 2008

Now would be a good time to find your dream home in your dream neighborhood. As prices drop, houses in some of the area's more desirable cities become more affordable - actually, a lot more affordable. Excerpt: Since the market's peak in 2005, home prices have fallen about 23.2% in metro Detroit, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index. Record foreclosures in the past two years have also created a drag on home values as foreclosed properties compete head-to-head with owner listings. So, for the first time in years, buyers can find many choices in the under-$200,000 price range in communities such as Allen Park, Westland, Dearborn, Ypsilanti, Detroit, Howell, Harrison Township, Fraser, Clinton Township, Warren, Holly, Farmington Hills, Keego Harbor, Waterford, Monroe, Royal Oak and Ferndale, according to data compiled by Realcomp in Farmington Hills. Read the entire article here.

$26 million heads to Oakland County neighborhoods

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Arts & Culture

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October 2, 2008

Wall Street might not be getting any federal bailout (for now) to deal with bad mortgages but Oakland County has received $26 million to do just that. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) new Neighborhood Stabilization Program has awarded $26 million to help stabilize neighborhoods hit hard by foreclosures. The winners are Pontiac ($3.5 million), Southfield ($3.2 million) and Waterford (a little more than $2 million). Oakland County received almost $17.4 million. That money is meant to help local communities acquire and redevelop foreclosed properties in danger of becoming (or remaining) blight. Some of the money can be used to raze structures redevelop vacant properties. Twenty-five percent (at least) of that money must be used to buy and redevelop buildings into housing for families with incomes that are less than 50 percent of the neighborhood's median income. Homes put back on the market must be listed at 20 percent under the current market value and can only be sold to people who will use them as their primary residences. Oakland County Community & Home Improvement division will release guidelines and application procedures in the near future. For information, click here or call (248) 858-0493. Source: Oakland County Economic Development & Community Affairs Writer: Jon Zemke

Oakland County receives $26 million in neighborhood stabilization funds

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Arts & Culture

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September 29, 2008

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, through a new Neighborhood Stabilization Program, granted Oakland County more than $26 million in assistance. Excerpt: Oakland County and three Oakland County communities hit by a high rate of property foreclosure and delinquencies will receive more than $26 million in assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) new Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The NSP will provide targeted emergency assistance to state and local governments to acquire and redevelop foreclosed properties that might otherwise become sources of abandonment and blight within their communities. “In a county hard hit by foreclosures, coupled with a terribly strained budget, these funds are a welcome addition,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. “Hopefully, we will soon get our hardest pressed residents back in affordable homes.” The City of Pontiac will receive $3.5 million, Southfield will receive $3.2 million, Waterford will receive more than $2 million and Oakland County will receive almost $17.4 million. Find more Oakland County info here.

Wayne County agency helps rebuild neighborhoods

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Community Development

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September 2, 2008

Local group, along with Wayne County, are helping Detroit neighborhoods rebuild and clean up some of the more unsightly lots.

Dearborn Public Service Days looks to clean up the neighborhoods

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Community Development

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December 13, 2007

Cleaner streets and cleaner neighborhoods are a big goal for the city of Dearborn next year. The city plans to start its Public Service Days initiative in January where a concentrated dose of city services, such as street sweeping and tree trimming, will be given to each neighborhood twice a month.

Environmentally-friendly home to be erected in historic Detroit neighborhood

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Economic Development

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September 5, 2007

A "quilted" house constructed of materials salvaged from a Chicago mansion will be erected in Detroit's Woodbridge neighborhood.

LISC rolls out $100M in neighborhood investment for Detroit and inner ring suburbs

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Economic Development

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June 20, 2007

Detroit LISC has rolled out $100 million in planned development for seven Detroit areas that also include parts of Ecorse, Lincoln Park, River Rouge, Warren and Grosse Pointe Park. the plans were crafted after two years of working with neighborhood groups and residents of the affected areas.

Urban, mixed-use neighborhoods key to attracting, retaining young talent

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Community Development

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June 7, 2007

Vibrant, walkable neighborhoods -- not jobs -- are key to attracting and retaining young talent to Michigan's cities, according to a new study commissioned by a coalition of business and government leaders.

Detroit mayor to focus on neighborhoods in state of the city address

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Community Development

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March 13, 2007

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, facing a big budget deficit, plans to focus on school safety, crime reduction and neighborhoods in the coming year.