Projects
Wealthy Heights: moving towards a community land trust
The Wealthy Heights Initiative has walked down several different paths over the past few years. Any effort to re-develop an area in a holistic and inclusive manner does. What has emerged is a unique partnership that will improve the housing stock of the area and increase homeownership while maintaining permanent affordability.
East Hills Center (of the Universe)
It takes a lot of hard work to transform a vacant lot into a building that is the envy of the city. After years of hard work and a unique partnership, East Hills Council of Neighbors has done just that. The former polluted gas station site at the corner of Lake and Diamond now is home to one of the “greenest” buildings in Michigan and maybe the Mid-West.
DEQ Stormwater Grant
The Department of Environmental Quality awarded a Clean Michigan Initiative grant to the East Hills Council of Neighbors. The grant, the first to be awarded to a neighborhood, supports Governor Jennifer M. Granholm’s Cool Cities Initiative. The DEQ offered a Request for Proposals specifically targeted at Cool Cities catalyst grantees in October 2004.
The grant will result in the implementation of low-impact development techniques at four locations in East Hills. The DEQ demonstration sites will showcase stormwater solutions in the urban environment including green roofs, pervious paving, and bio-retention.
920 Cherry Re-Development
The largest piece of vacant property in East Hills, 920 Cherry is on the schedule for redevelopment. 920 Cherry SE was purchased by Fairmount Square Investors L.L.C., which was formed by Sam Cummings and Guy Bazzani. Cummings and Bazzani are veteran developers who have each successfully renovated many historic buildings in Grand Rapids. Fairmount Square Investors is planning to join with a local non-profit housing developer to plan the revitalization of this important site in the neighborhood. Fairmount Square Investors will develop the site around the 1908 DA Blodgett Home for Children building into 33 Townhouses and a new 7,000 sq. ft. commercial space. The Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF) will renovate the DA Blodgett building, which includes demolishing the two extension buildings that front the property on Cherry Street.
Uptown Collaboration
The seeds for the Uptown Collaboration were planted right here in the East Hills Office in the Spring of 2002. Former East Hills Executive Director, Lara Dengerink-Vantil invited representative from Wealthy Street, East Fulton and East Hills business districts to talk about working together. After that initial meeting the word spread and momentum built. Long time community volunteer and activist Dotti Clune was invited in to continue the dialogue and bring Eastown into the effort. After a great deal of talking about the benefits of working as a group Uptown formed a marketing committee.
Cool Cities
In June 2004 the East Hills Council of Neighbors was selected by the State of Michigan as one of the first Cool Cities Initiative sites for the Uptown Revitalization Catalyst Project. This $100,000 initiative awarded $50,000 to a local Sustainable Developer, Bazzani Associates, toward the $1.1 million East Hills Center project as the catalyst project. An additional $30,000 was earmarked for an Uptown Facade Improvement Program. The remaining $20,000 was slated for an Uptown Wayfinding Program to enhance the identity of the area.
Trees Please
The East Hills "Trees Please" program has successfully planted twenty-eight trees in the Fairmount Square neighborhood. This pilot project will provide an example of responsible citizenship and urban forestry for the entire city.
At the tree-planting ceremony the Mayor acknowledge the importance of the work that was being done and committed to looking at a city-wide strategy. The Mayor also made a personal donation to the project to plant the final, 29 th, tree.
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CFL Challenge
310 bulbs replaced saving $8,690 and 75 tons of CO2!
Let us know how many bulbs you replaced!
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