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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 9:18 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Five recommendations in a new report on shrinking Flint's Carriage Town Historic District
Houses in the area that are a part of the Carriage Town Historic District are seen in Flint on Nov. 13, 2014. The area is just west of downtown, consisting of 10 blocks of mostly vacant homes as well as Atwood Stadium. Laura McDermott | MLive.com
Laura McDermott | MLive.com
t
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on November 15, 2014 at 6:00 AM, updated November 15, 2014 at 6:03 AM
FLINT, MI -- A new report suggests moving the western boundary of the Carriage Town Historic District, making it smaller in size and making it easier to demolish homes in the area that's proposed for removal.
But there are five recommendations in total in the report by the Carriage Town Historic District Boundary Review Committee. Here they are:
•Move the western Carriage Town Historic District boundary off of Beogle Street to Grand Traverse, removing 10 blocks from the current district.
•Going forward, the city of Flint should actively enforce historic district ordinances and support historic district redevelopment "for the purpose of retaining that part of history not already lost."
•With the removal of the 10-block area, the city should assess whether the new Carriage Town Historic District meets the criteria of having enough of the original housing stock to qualify as a federally recognized historic district.
•The city should allow Hurley Medical Center to remove eight residential houses it owns in the area proposed for removal from the district "for the purpose of stability and public safety."
•The city should work with Kettering University, which now owns Atwood Stadium, to quickly allow for the removal of several vacant structures around the stadium "for the purpose of stability and public safety." |
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 9:21 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 9:23 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Shrink Flint's historic Carriage Town? New report suggests removing 10 blocks
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on November 14, 2014 at 5:00 AM, updated November 14, 2014 at 2:26 PM
(This story has been updated to correct an error and to add new information.)
FLINT, MI -- The neighborhood was once profiled as a "jewel" of Flint, and it's one of just two recognized historic neighborhood districts in the city.
But a new report suggests the city should reduce the size of its Carriage Town Historic District just west of downtown, removing 10 blocks of mostly vacant houses as well as Atwood Stadium from the designated area in the name of urban revitalization.
Four of the five members of a Historic District Review Committee have signed off on the report, laying the groundwork for easing restrictions on tearing down homes for property owners like Hurley Medical Center, Kettering University and the Genesee County Land Bank.
Property owners in Carriage Town currently need the permission of Flint's Historic District Commission before they can construct, renovate, demolish or move buildings.
But by lifting the historic designation for property on the western-most edge of the district, owners can avoid that step altogether.
"The houses (in the area in question) aren't fixable. They're trash," said Myron Shelton, a member of the committee responsible for the report. "Once they take those down, (the district) is going to be fine."
City Attorney Peter Bade said the new report has been sent to the Flint Planning Commission, Michigan Secretary of State Office, Michigan Historical Commission, and state Historic Preservation Board.
"State law requires that a public hearing be scheduled within 60 days of distributing the report," Bade said in an email to The Flint Journal-MLive. "We anticipated doing that shortly.
"After the public hearing, and after receiving input from the above referenced agencies, the Committee will then finalize its report and submit it to the emergency manager."
The Carriage Town Historic Neighborhood Association was formed in 1982 as an attempt by local preservationists and business owners to prevent further decay of the neighborhood where Water Street carriage factory workers typically lived, according to the report.
In 2009, a New York Times article on the revitalization of the Carriage Town neighborhood called it a "jewel" of the city, and included descriptions of its historical architecture, spacious yards and scenic landscaping.
The recent preliminary report, dated August 2014, says officials for Atwood Stadium; the Flint Public Arts Project, which has taken possession of a condemned funeral home on University Avenue; and Kettering now support moving the Carriage Town boundaries as a way to take down properties that may never be redeveloped.
"No one is going to spend the money (that would be needed) to fix theses houses," said committee member and Carriage Town resident Tim Monahan.
The area under review for removal is the section of Carriage Town west of Grand Traverse to Begole Street; spanning from Fifth Avenue, south of Hurley Medical Center, to the Flint River, including Atwood Stadium.
Monahan said the majority of the committee as well as most of his neighbors support the plan, but it's not unanimous.
Leanne Barkus, president of the Carriage Town Neighborhood Association, and Heather Burnash, a member of both the Boundary Review Committee and Historic District Commission, both oppose the change.
"The whole thing is a farce," said Barkus, who blames property owners, particularly Hurley, for allowing historic houses built during Flint's carriage-building hey day to deteriorate so badly.
"Hurley has created this blight (and is) guilty of demolition by neglect," she said.
A Hurley spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment today, Nov. 13, but the preliminary report says a representative of the medical center told committee members that Hurley would remove eight blighted structures in the target area once the historic district restrictions are removed.
Land Bank Executive Director Doug Weiland said his group, which owns property in the area, would also look to tear down more homes it owns in the district if the historic designation is lifted in part of Carriage Town.
"We've got houses in there that frankly, we'd like to demolish," Weiland said. "If they move the boundaries, we'll be looking for additional funds to do more demolition."
Burnash said the long-term future of Carriage Town, one of just two recognized historic neighborhoods in the city, would be better served if remaining houses in the area were secured and boarded until demand for the properties increases or grant funds are secured to restore the homes.
"The purpose of a historic district is to preserve," she said. "The reason why this neighborhood has deteriorated is because the city has allowed it."
The Carriage Town Historic Neighborhood Association was formed in 1982 as an attempt by local preservationists and business owners to prevent further decay of the neighborhood where Water Street carriage factory workers typically lived, according to the report.
It was created by a city of Flint ordinance, which could be modified by Earley.
The Journal could not reach Earley for comment on the report. |
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 9:27 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 9:29 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Smaller Carriage Town would leave out American Indian burial ground
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on November 15, 2014 at 5:00 AM, updated November 15, 2014 at 5:06 AM
FLINT, MI -- The remains of dozens of ancestors of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan are buried in an area that could be removed from the Carriage Town Historic District.
But a spokesman for the tribe said its not getting involved in the debate over whether to shift the boundaries of the historic neighborhood.
"I guess the tribe doesn't have a problem" with the proposal from the Carriage Town Historic District Review Committee, said Frank Cloutier, a spokesman for the Saginaw Chippewas.
In a recent report, the committee recommended moving the western-most border of the historic district further east, making it easier for institutional property owners like Hurley Medical Center and Kettering University to demolish houses they own in the area.
Cloutier said the tribe still has interest in taking the deed to the burial area but has been slowed by discussions about how many parcels might be involved and by an environmental assessment.
Whatever happens to Carriage Town, the burial area -- located on Stone Street in the area of Third Street -- won't be redeveloped.
"No commercial or residential development will occur on this particular site and (in) the entire area, from the Flint River to Hurley Hospital, it is considered likely that human remains from this ancient cemetery would be found," the report says. "Any development using federal funds ... would require an archaeologist on-hand for all ground disturbing work."
The burial parcels are also classified as a historic site by the State Historic Preservation Office, which also forbids redevelopment, according to Flint Journal files.
Coutier said the tribe is considering using the property here to educate the public about the Chippewas, using educational markers, to tell their story.
"I believe we could have a final plan submitted by spring," he said.
Land Bank Executive Director Doug Weiland said his agency would welcome such plans.
The Land Bank has been waiting for the tribe to take over the properties and has not received a definitive answer, Weiland said.
Little has happened on the property since members of tribe and volunteers reburied the remains of 67 American Indians four years ago and the review committee report says the Chippewas "seem reluctant to move forward" by taking ownership.
A chain-link fence surrounds some of the parcels west of Stone Street, while a community garden has been grown on four lots on the east side of Stone.
"There's absolutely nothing we can do with the lots and the tribe is in control of their ancestral remains," Weiland said.
After the burial area was discovered by workers excavating basements for a redevelopment project, researchers determined that the remains included three newborns, five toddlers, two young children, eight teenagers and 49 adults and elders.
Evidence showed the area was likely a cemetery used for up to 600 years, dating back as many as 1,200 years. |
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 9:32 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 9:40 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Indian burial ground discovery halts Carriage Town revitalization
Scott Thorn By Scott Thorn
on July 21, 2008 at 1:02 PM, updated July 22, 2008 at 6:53 AM
Jane Hale | The Flint JournalMembers of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian tribe survey land in late January at Stone Street and Third Avenues in Flint where a Native American burial site is believed to be.
Ah, it's always a question of what to do with the old when creating the new. That's what Flint officials are contemplating having built eight houses near the Carriage Town neighborhood only to find remains of a buriall ground belonging to the Saginaw Chippewa Indian tribe.
July 08, 2008: Flint Journal: " Construction on the Stone Street houses stopped after the foundations were dug and bones belonging to the Saginaw Chippewa Indian tribe were discovered.
If that money, such as that used in designing the homes, would not be wasted because the design would remain the same even if they were moved.
Kildee said he does not know if the tribe would prefer a memorial marker on the site or if it would agree to move the bones to another location.
I say continue building there, it will help build the community. Plus, nothing ever goes bad when you build something over an American Indian burial ground.
With construction of eight houses on Stone Street stalled since the discovery of an American Indian burial site there, the city wants to move the project to a new home.
Builders dug up centuries-old American Indian remains in late January at the construction site in the Carriage Town Historic District.
Now, Flint officials are proposing a plan that would move the government-subsidized houses to nearby Smith Village, a separate government housing initiative that has languished for 10 years
[However t]he project was part of a plan to revitalize the historic Carriage Town neighborhood near Hurley Medical Center.
Perhaps they should continue building as planned elsewhere, then use this burial site as a memorial and a tourist attraction that would in its own way revitalize the Carriage Town neighborhood. |
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 9:42 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 9:45 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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American Indian burial site find has Flint officials considering plan to build government-subsidized homes in Smith Village instead of in Carriage Town
by Joe Lawlor | The Flint Journal
Tuesday July 08, 2008, 3:37 PM
FLINT, Michigan -- With construction of eight houses on Stone Street stalled since the discovery of an American Indian burial site there, the city wants to move the project to a new home.
Builders dug up centuries-old American Indian remains in late January at the construction site in the Carriage Town Historic District.
Now, Flint officials are proposing a plan that would move the government-subsidized houses to nearby Smith Village, a separate government housing initiative that has languished for 10 years.
Flint Journal extras
What's happening
• Flint city officials are suggesting that eight government-subsidized houses that would have been built on Stone Street in Carriage Town instead be built in Smith Village.
• Work on the houses has stalled since the discovery of American Indian remains in January.
• The Genesee County Land Bank, the agency building the houses, is waiting to hear from the Saginaw Chippewa tribe, but the agency is considering the city's proposal.
Related articles:
• April 25, 2008: More digging for Indian remains expected after more bones found near Atwood Stadium
• Jan 31, 2008: Anthropologists, Tribal Council investigating discovery of human remains
• Jan. 30, 2008: Human remains found at construction site are Indians, police say
• Jan. 28, 2008: Workers dig up possible human remains in Flint
Genesee County Treasurer Dan Kildee, who heads the Genesee County Land Bank, the agency building the houses, said he's open to the idea, but the agency still may build the houses on Stone Street or another location in Carriage Town.
The project was part of a plan to revitalize the historic Carriage Town neighborhood near Hurley Medical Center.
"It's hard to say 'no' to development," Kildee said. "If the city is really behind (Smith Village), we would give it strong consideration."
Smith Village also is a government-subsidized housing initiative. It started 10 years ago and was supposed to produce hundreds of new houses, but instead only six houses have been built on Root Street.
John Carpenter, the city's deputy transportation director, said the city is restarting Smith Village. Making it the site for the land bank houses seems like a perfect solution for all parties, he said.
The city is spending up to $1.2 million to pave Williams Street, put in sidewalks, infrastructure and welcome signs to get the languishing Smith Village started again.
But there are no new houses yet for the North Saginaw Street development that's across the street from University Park Estates.
"We're building the street, but we don't have the houses yet," Carpenter said. "We want to jump-start Smith Village. Everything on the street will be brand-new."
Construction on the Stone Street houses stopped after the foundations were dug and bones belonging to the Saginaw Chippewa Indian tribe were discovered.
If that money, such as that used in designing the homes, would not be wasted because the design would remain the same even if they were moved.
Kildee said he does not know if the tribe would prefer a memorial marker on the site or if it would agree to move the bones to another location.
A spokesman for the Saginaw Chippewa tribe could not be reached for comment.
Kildee said one concern he has is that the Smith Village project has stalled several times during the past decade. Blight and crime mar the area surrounding Smith Village, although that's also a problem in Carriage Town.
"If we put up the eight houses, we don't want to be the only eight houses on the street," Kildee said.
Carriage Town activist Tim Monaghan said the money should stay in Carriage Town.
"There's plenty of places in Carriage Town where you could put those houses," Monaghan said. "It doesn't make sense to me to put the money into a failed (Smith Village) project." |
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 9:48 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Carriage Town waited over 25 years for proposals to aid in the redevelopment of the area.
Flint West Village was using federal money to develop a community building and combined Carriage Town offices located on the west side of Grand Traverse . When lightning struck the building starting a fire, it was discovered that the Executive Director of Flint West Village had failed to insure the property. More recently arson destroyed that building and one adjacent to it being developed by U of M.
Flint West Village gave lucrative tax benefits to homeowners in the Kettering development area who donated their properties. The agency wanted to do their own land banking and when the law crating the land bank taxed the properties of nonprofits, Flint West Village owned hundreds of properties. They hired an attorney to maintain their properties, but that failed.
Kurtz, as Emergency Manager, favored assisting Kettering and as a "lame duck" move he gave large amounts of federal money to Flint West Village just days before Mayor Williamson assumed power. Council demanded the money go to Flint West Village although the company was on the verge of bankruptcy and had already lost over 265 properties to tax forfeitures. The agency only succeeded in demolitions and there was little money for the agency to earn from demolitions. Their efforts to rehab housing were almost nonexistent. Although federal money had been reallocated to fix the roof of the building housing the agency the money was never used. The director often kept the board in the dark.
During the bankruptcy the court was upset that a Kettering Vice President, who sat on the executive board, obtained three properties when it became apparent the agency was going bankrupt, Their comments were scathing and Kettering was required to pay additional money for the properties. The newest fraternity now sits on the site. |
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 10:27 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The west side of Begole between Third (now University) and Fifth Avenue was not part of the Carriage Town Historic District. Hurley had purchased the troubled Heartland Manor nursing home on that site. When state laws changed, it was apparent the site could not meet the new criteria even if remodeled. Hurley began buying up parcels in the area between Third and Fifth and Grand traverse and Begole because they wanted to demolish the entire area for a new nursing facility.
When the community fought back, Hurley used constructive demolition, (demolition by neglect). Over years these homes deteriorated to the point that they could not be rehabilitated.
During the Williamson administration, John Carpenter fought red tape to get the money to demo Heartland Manor. Hurley moved their parking lot on Fifth and the remaining houses on the block were demolished. MSHDA relaxed their rules of immediate rebuilding on the site and now there is an entire block that can be redeveloped. There is a plan for redevelopment of that site that involves mixed housing and small commercial that was developed using funds from Kettering and the Mott Foundation. |
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 10:51 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Hurley has developed plans for nearby housing developments for Hurley employees. Using multiple purchasing agents they quietly bought and demolished housing surrounding the hospital for security and safer parking lots. Multiple development and housing plans for the future have been put forward.
Kettering also has been buying up properties along the University Corridor. Now there is a grant that will, in theory, make the corridor safer.
Like a friend of mine said, the powers-that-be are going to make downtown Flint a college town, no matter what. This goes all the back to the days of Don Riegle, who first postulated the concept of University Corridor.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Sun Nov 16, 2014 4:29 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Sat Nov 15, 2014 11:03 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Jennifer Dempsey Schweinsberg Well I live in the historic 4th and Gill neighborhood that's by the hospital and literally just like Carriage Town. Except the houses are recognized as historic and home loans are designed to fix them up. And now all the houses over here cost about $200k or more! How about we take back our city, put some pride into our neighborhoods and make those homes the beautiful historic places that they are so people will consider that a desirable area? 10 years ago my neighborhood was a dump and considered so unsafe. Then it got fixed up and people are flocking to the area. Flint can do that |
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Sun Nov 16, 2014 4:28 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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12-14-14
David White As a former commissioner I would say had the City enforced the historic ordinance over the years the area wouldn't be in the condition it is. Green grass is not development. Historic districts make up a small percentage of our housing and building stock yet represents the growth and roots of our community. Hurley Foundation has owned these properties for 15 plus years and allowed them to deteriorate, not wanting to loose control. Why are our institutions above the law which says that those who allow historic properties to deteriorate are punishable up to $5,000 per property.
Why would we want to remove protection of the Indian burial ground, Atwood Stadium,market Fire Station, Dort Motor Car factory and the houses that need restoration and those that have been restored. Can we trust the local institutions to do the right thing when the City and Hurley have not? When the Mott Foundation Funding dries up like Windmill Place, water street and Autoworld,what happens to Atwood stadium?The Historic District district ordinance needs to be enforced with the termination of City Hall staff that have not done their job. Appoint Commissioners that can be certified rather than politically appointed so that the City can receive funding from the state for historic preservation. We are the only large City in the State that doesn't have a certified Historic District Commission. |
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Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:13 am |
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