About the Council

East Hills Council of Neighbors is a catalyst for neighborhood renewal through effective, grassroots community organizing. For over twenty-five years the organization has worked on crime prevention, community building, and home ownership initiatives. While these activities continue, the need for a greater level of redevelopment is also being addressed. Extensive work on Wealthy Street, the corner of Lake and Diamond, and 920 Cherry have been the result of long term grassroots organizing. East Hills has always reached beyond the status quo to address the needs of the community as a whole, and to diligently create and maintain a diverse, safe and sustainable community in which everyone can live, work, shop and play.

In the past quarter century East Hills has developed a proven track record including:

Saving Congress School from closing and maintaining it as a neighborhood resource
Incubating ArtWorks through the “Something Fishy” community art project
Incubating SEED, who led the restoration of the Wealthy Theatre
Working to create the Cherry Hill, Fairmount Square & Wealthy Theatre historic districts and preserving our architectural heritage
Initiating and Organizing Wealthy Street ALIVE for over ten years
Bringing about the development of the East Hills Center of the Universe through years of grassroots activism
Working to maintain affordable homeownership opportunities by starting the development of a Community Land Trust
Being one of the first Michigan Cool Cities sites and supporting our business districts including façade improvements, banners and bike racks
Leading the grassroots advocacy that has brought 920 Cherry to the redevelopment table, a project that includes thirty-three new housing units!
Building effective collaborations with business, residents and government
Making East Hills “Green” by administering a DEQ Non-Point Source Pollution Grant for developments that include green roofs, rain gardens and permeable asphalt parking lots.

Board and Staff

The Board of Directors meets at the East Hills office on the first Monday of each month at 6:45 p.m. All meetings are open to the public and participation is welcome.