On December 14, the Grand Rapids City Planning Commission approved a request by Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids, Inc., for the future demolition of four houses in Wealthy Heights with the intent to build four single-family homes in their place. The approval is a major step toward creating a redevelopment proposal for the Planning Commission to review in 2008.
“We cannot move forward with the demolition until the site plan is approved by the Planning Commission,” said Mark Rumsey, Executive Director of the East Hills Council of Neighbors (EHCN). “And we can’t develop a site plan until funding is secured.”
The houses to be demolished, located at 349 Visser Place SE and 315, 319, and 327 Freyling Place SE, are part of a larger project called the Wealthy Heights Community Land Trust. If successful, the land trust will establish a new model of affordable housing in the city.
“Dwelling Place is purchasing nine properties from Community Rebuilders,” Rumsey said. “Five of those properties are being rehabbed, four will be demolished, and five vacant city lots are being held for this project for single-family homes.”
EHCN, Dwelling Place, and the City of Grand Rapids are collaborating to establish the land trust. EHCN recently hired a full-time staff person to oversee the project and work with residents in the area. Eventually the land trust will become it’s own non-profit organization that will own the land in perpetuity and sell long-term leases to low-income tenants.
Those tenants will own their homes but not the land. They may sell the homes at any time, but may sell them only to buyers who qualify as low-income buyers. That provision will keep affordable housing in the neighborhood and guard against gentrification.
The properties consist of nearly 40,000 square feet of land directly north of the Wealthy Theatre. Five narrow side streets—Donald, Robey, Freyling, Caulkins, and Visser—lead to the properties and nearly 70 other homes, but all of the streets except Caulkins are dead ends. This makes it nearly impossible for fire trucks, police vehicles, ambulances, and trash pickup services to get into the neighborhood.
Rumsey said EHCN and Dwelling Place are working with the city to improve the streets, sewers, and water lines. They hope to receive approval to connect some of the streets so they will be more accessible for emergency vehicles and city services.
“We’re still looking for the funding,” Rumsey said, “and once we get the funding we’ll be looking at getting a project designer on board.”
Total cost will be about $2.9 million. In August, the Grand Rapids Community Foundation approved a low interest loan of $462,000 to allow Dwelling Place to purchase some of the properties.
Source: Mark Rumsey, East Hills Council of Neighbors http://www.easthillscouncil.org/projects.php?project_id=1
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