Lots of development-related stuff on council's agenda next week:
The Form Based Code is formally introduced and a public hearing is set for it.
And ordinance to amend the existing marijuana ordinance to allow "microbusinesses" - marijuana businesses who can grow, process and sell their product at one location with a limit on 150-plant grows - in commercially zoned districts. Currently, microbusinesses are only allowed in industrial zoned districts. Also, they are capped at one-per ward. I hope they eventually raise (or eliminate) that cap as, in my opinion, this should be the kind of market we're trying to develop here - one which favors smaller growers, processors and retailers.
Mayor's office fowards rezonings and such from the planning board to council: Eastern High School property, E. Miller Road at Orchard Court, expansion of the W. Saginaw Street Overlay District + vacation of Rose Court.
Resolution to allow for a Commercial Rehabilitation District & Certificate for the building(s) at the northeast corner of Washington and Kalamazoo. This desgination allows a redeveloper to freeze the tax level of their property to pre-rehab levels for 1 to 10 years to incentivize renovations. This will include brickwork and painting, HVAC replacement, roof repair, new windows, apartment remodels, etc.
Acceptance of state grants for some land acquistion for parks including down on the River Trail south of Cavanaugh from Hawk Island, and acquisition of the two buildings at the southwest corner of River and E. St. Joseph for Cherry Hill Park expansion.
That is interesting. Knock the neighborhood down and someday build a new neighborhood. I was just speculating about the "30 story building". It sure would be great to see something built there. The destruction of this and nearby neighborhoods made a big impression on me when I was a kid. All the years I lived in Mass. I would have this recurring dream about walking through the blocks behind the Capitol and by West Jr., seeing the houses being torn down with just one or two still standing here and there. I don't know if that means anything! I think I am always just trying to get home. I finally made it!:}
The property at 1624 E. Cavanaugh is interesting to me. I feel like it would be a good location for a trail- or park-focused business to purchase, but that obviously never happened. I'm looking forward to the city possibly being able to purchase this land for park purposes. That being said, it is currently listed for sale by the owner, so I'm not sure how this will end.
I thought those houses off Cavanaugh were in the flood plain and scheduled for demolition? I would not want to live there and the other structures nearby there have been squatters.
Looking back at the resolution, look like the city applied for the state grant to purchase the property last year, but that there was a technical issue that got the grant rejected, so they are refiling it with the proper paperwork. Anyway, yes, it's in the 100 year flood plain.
Interestingly, looking at its property's project page, it mentions that they pulled a permit to replace the main breaker panel earlier this year - among other improvements - for rental use, which I find odd knowing the city was putting together a purchase. Then again, maybe not that weird if you don't know when the city was going to get its deal together, and as it turns out they messed up the grand last year. So why not rent it out for another year? lol But, looking at the records, owner was fined as recently as May for failing to register the rental and for overgrown grass/weeds. I don't imagine they want much to do with this property, which is why the city put out for the grant to purchase it.
The small house looks like it may have been a school at one time. It is a strange little edge of town area leftover from when it was the edge of town. I like the idea of the city extending the parkland over there.
Guess I'd not been up here in months. Apparently, the city & the BWL are replacing an old sanitary sewer and watermain under the Grand River at the N Grand River Avenue Bridge. The sewer pipe was built in 1934. Some pictures from the public service departments website showing the coffer dams they've built to be able to access the infrastructure under the riverbed.
BTW, totally missed this with all of the election drama going on, but Western Michigan formally split with Cooley Law on Thursday. I'm actually kind of glad this happened. It was always a weird fit and they never gelled. Hopefully, Cooley's downsizing plan puts the school in a better position in Lansing.
The 7 block fiasco continues to disappoint me, has it really only been seven years? It feels like it's been so much longer. I'm not even too sure what I'd like to see here, it'd be nice to see Washtenaw rebuilt all the way through while the seven block area and the state parking lot south of the library ends up as a low to mid rise mixed us district, that's hoping for a lot though. I'd bet Eyde will end up proposing a mundane low slung office building permanently blocking Washtenaw from reaching MLK similar to what they proposed some years ago.
Regarding that grant to buy two buildings across from Cherry Hill Park to expand the park, as a resident and homeowner in that neighborhood, that dumbfounds me. Cherry Hill Park is poorly developed and poorly maintained and they want to buy two properties across from the park for what? I want to see the River Trail continued on that side of the river through the park, there needs to be pathways through the park, a better playground and maybe a sculpture or two. Besides, I like that brick building on the corner and would prefer to see it turned back to commercial use someday.
That one block of Washtenaw was vacated long ago, the Eydes just never took the street out. The "Seven Block Neighborhood Plan" is part of the formal Planning code. Essentially, it was the city's promise to replace what they had wiped out as 'blight.' For the block we're talking about in particular (Kalamazoo to the south, Butler to the east, Allegan to the north, and MLK to the west), the "development strategies" for the block endorse a "office/commercial center" at the northeast corner of Kalamazoo and MLK and "office uses" facing the "State Park and State Museum." I guess we never got the state park. lol Anyway, long story short, community involvement is formally required in whatever is proposed on this land:
All proposals received for developing an office/commercial center at the northeast corner of Kalamazoo Street and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard/Logan Street must be reviewed by the Seven Block Citizen Monitoring Team and the Development and Planning and Ways and Means Committees prior to final selection by City Council.
I imagine the "Seven Block Citizen Monitoring Team" has been defunct for decades, now, though probably easily reconstituted. Aside from the required commercial and office development in the neighborhood - which stretches further south to St. Joseph - some other parts of the plan were completed: relocation of Union Missionary Baptist Church to the "triangle" within MLK, the Capitol Loop, renovation of what was left of the residential portion of the neighborhood, the closure of Lenawee and Washtenaw to MLK, etc. Given this, I'd actually advocate repealing this neighborhood plan if they aren't going to actively move to complete it, because what it's done is basically freeze the neighborhood in place aside from the completed portions of the plan.
As for the Cherry Hill properties, between the city wanting to remove buildings from the floodplain and the owners having been trying to sell the property on the corner since the end of 2018, this is what they see as a solution. I think the corner building would make a cool little concessions building for the park in the summer, but no ones shown any interest in doing anything with it. I would like to be clear that the grant application to buy these two properties doesn't explicitly mention demolition, rather to purchase them for "park purposes," so maybe their fates aren't set in stone quite yet, but seeing what the city has done with other acquisitions like this, I imagine that's the likely plan/fate of the buildings.
The city is looking to purchase 700 River Street on the corner for $80,000 and the one on St. Joseph behind it for $100,000 which is significantly above what each owner is asking for their property. Both are rentals, BTW.
Regardless of whether it's been formally vacated, I think rebuilding Washtenaw would be best for the neighborhood and best for the development prospects at that site. I hope Eyde or whatever developer ends up with this property at least considers reversing that mistake, as I also hope the state allows the street to be rebuilt through the library's parking lot someday.
Back to Cherry Hill Park, I just don't see why the city wants to bail out the owner of those properties, if he can't sell them on the open market at that price then they're not worth that price. I can say with certainty that $100k for that house is ridiculous, the city should not be overpaying for properties that they have absolutely no use for. I would also love to see that little brick building turned into some sort of cafe/diner or convenience store or River Trail-related business, but I don't think the city makes for a good property owner/manager for those sorts of things. As in all cases, if the owner of those properties wanted to get rid of them he should have to sell them at market price, then maybe someone could economically justify coming in and doing what's necessary to make them useful.
I guess it's a done deal now. I'd suggest that the city raze the house next door to allow the little commercial building to have a parking lot then rezone the parcels to allow commercial use and offer it for sale through a RFP. I'd hate to just see a bigger patch of grass next to the freeway.
Comments
Interestingly, looking at its property's project page, it mentions that they pulled a permit to replace the main breaker panel earlier this year - among other improvements - for rental use, which I find odd knowing the city was putting together a purchase. Then again, maybe not that weird if you don't know when the city was going to get its deal together, and as it turns out they messed up the grand last year. So why not rent it out for another year? lol But, looking at the records, owner was fined as recently as May for failing to register the rental and for overgrown grass/weeds. I don't imagine they want much to do with this property, which is why the city put out for the grant to purchase it.
BTW, totally missed this with all of the election drama going on, but Western Michigan formally split with Cooley Law on Thursday. I'm actually kind of glad this happened. It was always a weird fit and they never gelled. Hopefully, Cooley's downsizing plan puts the school in a better position in Lansing.
Regarding that grant to buy two buildings across from Cherry Hill Park to expand the park, as a resident and homeowner in that neighborhood, that dumbfounds me. Cherry Hill Park is poorly developed and poorly maintained and they want to buy two properties across from the park for what? I want to see the River Trail continued on that side of the river through the park, there needs to be pathways through the park, a better playground and maybe a sculpture or two. Besides, I like that brick building on the corner and would prefer to see it turned back to commercial use someday.
I imagine the "Seven Block Citizen Monitoring Team" has been defunct for decades, now, though probably easily reconstituted. Aside from the required commercial and office development in the neighborhood - which stretches further south to St. Joseph - some other parts of the plan were completed: relocation of Union Missionary Baptist Church to the "triangle" within MLK, the Capitol Loop, renovation of what was left of the residential portion of the neighborhood, the closure of Lenawee and Washtenaw to MLK, etc. Given this, I'd actually advocate repealing this neighborhood plan if they aren't going to actively move to complete it, because what it's done is basically freeze the neighborhood in place aside from the completed portions of the plan.
As for the Cherry Hill properties, between the city wanting to remove buildings from the floodplain and the owners having been trying to sell the property on the corner since the end of 2018, this is what they see as a solution. I think the corner building would make a cool little concessions building for the park in the summer, but no ones shown any interest in doing anything with it. I would like to be clear that the grant application to buy these two properties doesn't explicitly mention demolition, rather to purchase them for "park purposes," so maybe their fates aren't set in stone quite yet, but seeing what the city has done with other acquisitions like this, I imagine that's the likely plan/fate of the buildings.
The city is looking to purchase 700 River Street on the corner for $80,000 and the one on St. Joseph behind it for $100,000 which is significantly above what each owner is asking for their property. Both are rentals, BTW.
Back to Cherry Hill Park, I just don't see why the city wants to bail out the owner of those properties, if he can't sell them on the open market at that price then they're not worth that price. I can say with certainty that $100k for that house is ridiculous, the city should not be overpaying for properties that they have absolutely no use for. I would also love to see that little brick building turned into some sort of cafe/diner or convenience store or River Trail-related business, but I don't think the city makes for a good property owner/manager for those sorts of things. As in all cases, if the owner of those properties wanted to get rid of them he should have to sell them at market price, then maybe someone could economically justify coming in and doing what's necessary to make them useful.
I guess it's a done deal now. I'd suggest that the city raze the house next door to allow the little commercial building to have a parking lot then rezone the parcels to allow commercial use and offer it for sale through a RFP. I'd hate to just see a bigger patch of grass next to the freeway.