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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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For Immediate Release
February 19, 2013
Contact: Douglas Weiland
Genesee County Land Bank
810.257.3088 ext. 521
dweiland@thelandbank.org [mailto:dweiland@thelandbank.org]
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Genesee County Land Bank and City of Flint to Receive $3.7 Million Demolition Grant
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Flint, MI - The City of Flint and Genesee County Land Bank have received preliminary
notice that they will be awarded $3.7 million in a blight elimination grant to demolish
blighted structures in parts of the City of Flint. The award is contingent upon
the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority's acceptance of a final plan for performing the demolitions.
The Genesee County Land Bank and the City of Flint had jointly applied for the funds from a $15 million pool made available for communities outside of Detroit as a result of the state attorney general's settlement with mortgage company's over inappropriate mortgage practices.
Over the next year, the funds will be used to demolish about 250 blighted residential and commercial structures following guidelines that were set up by the Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS), the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority (MLB) and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MHSDA). Those guidelines require that the funds be spent in areas near schools and areas where removing blight will have a positive effect on public safety and protect children on their way to and from school. The grant is also designed to support other public and private investments made in the areas covered by the grant. The areas affected by the grant are anchored by Flint Northwestern High School, Flint Northern High School, Neithercut Elementary School, Kettering University, the University of Michigan - Flint, International Academy. In addition to removing blighted structures in Flint, some demolition may also take place in Flint Township, Mt. Morris Township and the City of Burton.
Some notable buildings that are included in the grant include the former Clark School
near downtown Flint ($200,000),
Genesee Towers ($200,000),
the former Brookstone Apartments in Flint Township ($309,000) and several remaining buildings at Carpenter Road Apartments ($206,000).
In announcing the grant, County Treasurer Deb Cherry, who chairs the Land Bank Board of Directors, said, "Removing blight in our community not only helps reduce opportunities for criminal activity and improves public safety, but it improves property values and the quality of life for residents." Mayor Dayne Walling commented, "This is another example of how the City of Flint and Genesee County have worked together on joint initiatives to the betterment of our community." |
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Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:52 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Money for demolitions on its way but can't be used for Genesee Towers, other commercial eyesores
By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on February 23, 2013 at 6:00 AM, updated February 23, 2013 at 6:04 AM
GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Flint and the county are getting nearly $4 million from the state to demolish abandoned properties in 2013.
But neither the county nor the city are getting a red cent to tear down the biggest eyesores in the area, including Genesee Towers and the former Clark School in Flint as well as the old Ramada Inn at Pierson Road and I-75 in Mt. Morris Township.
"I'm grateful on the one hand. On the other hand, I would like to have seen" the big projects get funded, said Commissioner Omar Sims, D-Flint.
The county included the Ramada as well as an abandoned Grand Blanc gas station and other commercial properties on its wish list to the state for blight elimination grants while the city asked for $200,000 to be used to take down the Genesee Towers, $200,000 for the former Clark School, $309,000 for the old Brookstone Apartments in Flint Township, and $206,000 to finish demolition of remaining buildings at Carpenter Road Apartments.
The county and the city were actually competing for blight elimination grants with cities, townships and villages from throughout Michigan for a total pool of $15 million. The one-time windfall comes from proceeds from a national settlement with banks over mortgage foreclosure practices.
The city of Detroit already received $10 million in an earmark from the same source of funds.
Genesee County won almost $183,000 of a requested $1.9 million while Flint received $3.7 million of a request of about $5 million.
Flint Administrator Mike Brown said the lack of funding for commercial demolition won't sidetrack efforts to knock down the Towers, downtown Flint's tallest building.
"We will find a way to get it done." Brown said. "It should not affect (our plans)."
The 19-story, vacant office Towers building is still city owned, though officials say a plan to transfer the property to a nonprofit group and to demolish it is still in motion.
Doug Weiland, executive director of the Land Bank, said the joint application from the city of Flint and his organization scored well and called the award "great news."
Weiland said the grant should allow for as many as 350 homes to be demolished, the vast majority of them in Flint.
But the grant could be the only source of funding for demolitions in 2013, he said, likely resulting in a big cut in total demolition work compared to the approximately 600 structures taken down in 2012.
The blight elimination funds have to be spent in areas near schools and where removing blight will "have a positive effect on public safety and protect children on their way to and from school," according to a Land Band news release.
The Land Bank said areas targeted include anchors like Flint Northwestern High School, Flint Northern High School and Kettering University.
Weiland estimated $50 million in demolition is needed to tear down abandoned homes in the city.
"It's a big help," he said of the grant, "but nowhere near what we need."
The state has said applications for the blight elimination fund were judged on whether they will promote public safety, stabilize property values and promote further economic development, among other criteria, according to a memorandum about the program to the county Board of Commissioners.
Legislation signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in August set up the blight elimination fund. Michigan was among 49 states to join the federal government in signing the $25 billion settlement earlier last year.
valtwin
Grants, Flint's lifeblood. Using other people's tax money is routine. No wonder so many Flintoids are on the generational entitlement lifestyle....Flint shows them how it's done.
WOW55 likes this.
4realjoe
@Jtbagel - Ron and the Journals job is to report WITHOUT bias, that means regardless of popular opinion. Those with means and who could make a go of it want it torn down. Also you must be an engineer or how else would you know for sure the real condition of the building?
WOW55
Why would those public funds be used to tear down Genesee Towers?
"Flint's former emergency manager Michael Brown recently agreed to sell Genesee Towers to Uptown for $1, on the condition that Uptown demolishes the structure and creates a plaza for public use, according to the agreement signed by Brown and Herman." FJ Aug. '12
Uptown bought the building for a buck, although, not really. The city still holds the title, the insurance policy and the liability. I suspect this deal, like EVERYTHING to do with how the city manages things for the benefit of the city and its denizens, won't be completed until more public money pops up to cover it. Uptown pay? I doubt it!
James_Harvey_80
Not only did they sell it to them for $1 but they also guaranteed them $750,000 of the neighborhood stabilization grant. This $200,000 would have been on top of that.
cleartheair
Why are the taxpayers paying Uptown’s millionaires and billionaires $200,000 to tear down a building Uptown now owns?
Is this a Mike Brown okie-doke? I say this because before becoming the EMF he worked for and was intimate with that crowd
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jtbagel2
Real Joe, How many years do you need to figure out whether or not Genesee Towers is viable. If what you say is true, why is it that no one has been able to make a go of it for years. The previous owner bought it for I believe $750,000 and ran it into the ground until it was not habitable. Most people in Genesee County would agree with Ron's version of a "commercial eyesore" as an accurate description. Rather than file a lawsuit why not raise money to rehab this building if you think it is an easy or viable proposition. The building is falling apart and you think there is some grand conspiracy to scam the residents of Flint. Really?
James_Harvey_80
You are 100% wrong. The previous owner bought it for $500,000 and had sunk 4 million dollars into it at the time Williamson condemned it. Think about that for a minute. If you bought a bld at auction and spent $4 mil fixing it up would you be ok with Williamson doing what he did? Williamson thought it should have went for more so they tried to steal it back by condemning it. Also the building is not falling apart. Only the facade is falling down.
4realjoe
@Ron - it would help if there was less bias in your reporting. "Other commercial eyesores".. really?!? Here's one, how about "other historic and commercial structures"?? Eyesores.. Yeah no bias in that.
4realjoe
As soon as the first crane begin demolishing GT we will file suit against the City of Flint and Uptown Redevelopment. This entire debacle has been nothing short of a textbook example of abuse and failure. Instead of exploring meaningful preservation those in Flint leadership positions have done nothing but try to appease Uptown and the Mott Foundation.
Think about it, Kumar's team of independent engineers found the building to be sound (as are most 45 year-old buildings) but because the MF folks want it gone (no less than to enhance their panoramic view) the City is being party to this sham. Not to mention ripping off and passing along an incredible tax bill to Flint taxpayers. This will be the next major news story out of Flint. Complete with names, dates and times!
justicesearc
Over $11,000 per home to demolish. Wow.
shanedr
No Omar, that money is needed for our blighted neighborhoods, not for old businesses. You can't attract new business if there aren't people to patronize them. Businesses want to be where their customers are and Flint has been chasing its citizens away for years.
Phillip LaBarge
Please use grants correctly or as in the case of HUD, DOE, and many others we will have to pay them back. As we are broke spend them right or give them back before you spend them. Smith Village the grant thats been misused for more than a decade and will be repaid by our children because it was never used right. Watch as it continues to unfold. |
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Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:41 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Fields of clover? Flint ponders land use while facing '$50M demolition problem'
By Kristin Longley | klongley1@mlive.com
on February 24, 2013 at 6:00 AM, updated February 24, 2013 at 6:13 AM
om
FLINT, MI -- Wetlands and fields of clover? Doesn't sound much like Flint.
But that's one vision officials have for this former manufacturing town, which is growing more vacant every year as residents move elsewhere -- leading to more empty homes in need of demolishing and more vacant lots harboring nuisance weeds.
A new draft report completed for Flint's master plan process shows the city has at least 11,298 vacant lots within its 33 square miles, and another nearly 6,000 houses that were rated poor or substandard in a citywide survey of Flint's housing stock.
All told, Flint has a $50 million demolition problem, Mayor Dayne Walling said in his State of the City address Monday, Feb. 18.
More vacant space and empty housing present city leaders with a challenge: How to pay for a citywide infrastructure system that's serving fewer people and how to eliminate the escalating blight.
In some of the more vacant residential neighborhoods, where crime and abandonment are high, Walling said more "healthy green space" could help the city provide services to residents at a lower cost.
Services wouldn't be cut off to any areas of the city, he said, just modified.
"A neighborhood that has a lot of vacant land could have a new pond and wetland put in to replace the old concrete stormwater pipes," Walling said in his State of the City address Monday. "This would create a kind of green and healthy new development type of environment in a neighborhood that is highly distressed today."
To deal with the poor housing stock, the Genesee County Land Bank was recently awarded a $3.7 million blight elimination grant from the state.
The money is only enough to take down less than 7 percent of the thousands of structures in need of demolition -- but it will help, said Genesee County Land Bank Executive Director Doug Weiland.
An abandoned home stands in the area near Flint Northwestern High School in Flint. The Genesee County Land Bank will use $3.7 million in grant funding to target vacant houses around Flint Northwestern High School and Flint Northern High School, among a few other areas. Sammy Jo Hester | MLive.com
"It will take out another 350 houses, which is good," he said. "Any demolition we can do is a plus... but we certainly need more funding to do the amount of demolition that needs to be done."
The residential demolition will be targeted in several areas that were chosen based on guidelines set by the state, which included proximity to schools and leveraging demolition that's already occurred.
Weiland said much of the demolition will be done in the areas around Flint Northwestern High School, Northern High School and the International Academy of Flint. A small portion will be razed in Mt. Morris Township, Flint Township and Burton, he said.
The Land Bank will also attempt to deal with vacant lots over the next year or so. It owns about 4,000 of the vacant lots in Flint -- a number that will likely grow with each new demolition.
"When you do a demolition and take a house down, the houses don’t grow back but the weeds do," he said. "We’re trying to move forward now with taking a lot of areas and taking land and trying to grade it over and plant ground cover."
Weiland said he wants to start a pilot program in Flint that would take areas with adjacent vacant parcels and plant clover, which doesn't require labor-intensive maintenance like grass and weeds.
He said they're investigating potential funding sources this year.
"It would require a significant amount of funds over a number of years but the payoff in the end would be worth it," he said.
Weiland said the Land Bank is also in talks with its founder, now-U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, about getting more resources to do more demolition and blight elimination.
"I think everybody here agrees the blighted property we have in Flint is of the magnitude that it's going to require federal action," he said.
Kildee said it's one of his office's top priorities that he hopes to address this year.
As for Flint's land use issues, he said it makes sense for Flint's leaders to examine interim uses for vacant space -- such as community gardens and other green initiatives -- that will cut costs while Flint attempts to recover from its financial struggles.
Years down the road, Flint may be able to again rebuild its housing stock in those spaces, he said.
"The most important thing is to take the land and use it for what it's intended for... and not look at it as an indication of failure," he said. "Nobody should perceive the greening of what was once a neighborhood as a permanent condition." |
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Sun Feb 24, 2013 7:39 am |
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