about rapidly gentrifying urban outliers like Staten Island
or rapidly deconstructing clusters like the other 135.8 miles of Detroit.
Urban observers who can write are especially welcome
Sunday, May 12, 2024
BLKOUT Walls murals
Next Festival September 7 -17 2024
BLKOUT is a collective of black artists who are brightening up the North E nd, Highland Park and Downton. Their website https://www.blkoutwalls.com/muralmap states that
" BLKOUT Walls is an annual street art festival that activates the city of Detroit by bringing together art and community"
For instance, right next to the new Detroit Peoples Food CO-OP market (at 8324 Woodward)
is is the Turkey Grill (8290 Woodward) with this large mural with a title referring to the food available
Let me get umm…
By Sydney G. James&Ijania Cortez
My Favorite is the J Dilla tribute on Holbrook and Oakman
on the back side of the building is another BLKOUT mural " Matriarchy
I wonder how to live next to something that needs to be restored or torn down.... I would prefer more tiny house projects developed for the formerly homeless and more avant garde approaches to using space once land is cleared. Detroit is not ranked high in healthy walkable neighborhoods. I do not know if its the design /crime/or car culture that makes this place diabetes central.But one thing I do know- Detroit could be the Number One 21st century city of the future. Not suburban, not urban, not inner, not outer but something for all . I call it NeoUrban. A new living arrangement of people , living in connected neighborhoods. Connected walkable, safe with light rail for distances over 2 miles. See this fantasy transportation map?
Disclosure: I write a blog called diabeticslifeline.com I know that diabetes is managed by walking...
Also
My blogging is affected by the following --- I can dream of better things.
I was a kid growing up in a faux Cape Cod with a covered porch / Fixer Upper in Conant Gardens ...I used to look out my window over the city and imagine what it would look like with less houses, and winding lanes and lamps twinkling through the zillion trees. I saw the ravages of Dutch Elm disease, and left before the center fell @ 1985 for NYC. I am now back in Detroit with a unique perspective ...Isn't strange that I could see this city laid out differently years before it actually ended up with less houses?
So put in the twinkling lanes and zillion trees but add houses people can afford till death if need be...A thought : Once the mortgage is paid WHY can't we keep the taxes down? According to what I have been seeing since I left the very expensive East Coast and gentrified precincts of greater NYC ,
Detroiters pay way more than their houses are worth. I live in Oakland county and its also crazy here- we in Oakland are often paying more taxes than owners in Brooklyn Heights mansion owners who are blocks from the Riverfront with that crazy quintillion dollar view...
WHY SO MUCH $$$$ for Less in Mitten Land???????????
If the house is tiny /the taxes should be tiny -until your time is up! if only they would Chant this in the streets.... -regenerate cities- go tiny /rise up Detroit/time to be shiny/lets go people/lets be lively Disclosure: I have seen the marches in Buenos Aires circa 2003 - 3 points This is what will it take to deliver some fairness to the 99%-
Try to sell so that Tiny houses paid in full (no mortgages ) and at the same time , homeowners of tiny houses billed yearly for taxes held to a rule of 15 % of the occupants future earnings(social security, etc) No Increases!!
Use the 15% taxed of all homeowners of green/tiny houses for only 1 thing -the $$$ pays for school ... other taxes levied from other possible sources go to other structural needs of a city , and are subject to legislation
Social Contract of the Neo-urban city: All house taxes Must support the Year Around school for anyone who wants to learn (Mandatory 1-12 grades) . Learning as facilitated by Free Internet will be made available for all future generations to be educated to a BS or BA level Just make it non negotiable and not something voters wrangle over : Millages are stupid.
The third coast is the trendsetter for the rest of the country, and Detroit is the neo-urban leader...
Why should Detroit go tiny since NYC is not going tiny ? East Coast Cities like NY are going up (not tiny...) NY is building above existing buildings like Bladerunner - using the air space . (Maybe has to do with the rising ocean...) See the picture below??. I lived right around the corner from this house in Brooklyn . The other boros: Staten Island, Queens, The Bronx& Brooklyn are not as overbuilt as Manhattan .The possibility of space sans demolition makes these areas open to experimental container green housing. Puerto Rico take note ...Cheaper and Hurricane Proof Housing is available using your imagination and going tiny with railroad containers -cheaper than traditional materials (and can be installed quickly...before the next hurricane season......
see the video below in Williamsburg Brooklyn
(I lived near here in 2011, and passed by it often...)
If tiny is the new black then Square feet is the new bitcoin - unpredictable income equals instability for fboth the 1% and the 99 %.
Why spotlight Diana and Aretha ?
Entertainers make $$$ until they do not -which is when the entertainment is no longer hot, and enters a nostalgic phase. That is when the downsizing should occur - 2 homes and a lot can be a bit much- no?
Having a lot in Palmer Woods off the Golf course is also sensible.
Having a home in Bloomfield Hills is also sensible.
But not being able to maintain all three at the level of no worries would be the goal, especially as one gets older and works less. Something has to give. Guess what is teetering/ hovering above the swirling edge of the default drain? Guess where the property of the stars is that requires a Small infusion of liquid money in order to keep it off the Taxman/Auction list?? 18281 Hamilton Avenue- 1 house from 7 mile is just a cute lot Only .58 of an acre - the right size to put a tiny home cluster of 2 or 3 homes
and give some formerly homeless a chance to start anew ...not too far from the University District and the 8 mile border- Relatively safe- near the 12th precinct police station also. One less thing to worry about, and an opportunity to do good...
Aretha's Lot......Could look like thisProject called True North Near Wayne State University
in any case, the lot is around the corner from the
Frank Lloyd Wright home on 7 mile:
The Dorothy H. Turkel House is a private residence located at 2760 West 7 Mile Road in north-central Detroit, Michigan, within the Palmer Woods neighborhood. - wikipedia
In Detroit- we are a special case. Detroit is post hurricane. We are a candidate for not for profits like Habitat for Humanity. But Detroit has a history of social work projects with a political aspect. As long as the Government entities in Washington allows cities to do their own social retooling and avoid the politics of poverty, Detroit and other cities like it can be successfully habitat diverse post Hurricane, regardless of the cause for the storm. Such a local effort - Cass Community Social Services is doing something no where near Cass Corridor, and they are getting support from corporate entities and private persons.
Placing women who were formerly homeless and or unemployed in these tiny homes does not overwhelm these first time homeowners. Having seen how HUD messed it up Post Rebellion/Riot in the Northwest section of Detroit by giving first time homeowners homes that they could barely afford These tiny Homes are a smarter alternative to a group home, or no home at all.
They got it right this time... Tiny Homes teach you how to live sensibly on a low income and still enjoy your space without it being a burden . All homes always have to upkeep/fix-.it protocol. The problem is Can You Afford The Fix It Lifestyle? I know .... I run my parents suburban home for them and I am always hiring someone - its the norm in my zipcode for a house with a circular driveway , etc. Some things I am budgeting of course - I mean I can rake my own leaves and forgo the Gym Membership .
The Cass Corridor is so developed ( another article ) that the homemaking project had to move to the zipcode next to Highland Park on the west 48206 . On Elmhurst between the Lodge and
Woodrow Wilson street in Dexter Linwood Neighborhood a once beautiful middle class neighborhood with Big Houses is now going tiny.
1st tiny house @ 1564 Elmhurst , 48206
ROBIN RUNYAN writes "A lot of questions have come up regarding the community of tiny homes developing in Detroit for the low-income population. We wanted to answer some of the most frequent questions and welcome more. It’s certainly a different program for Detroit, but one that’s growing in different areas around the country. Here we go.
Why don’t you just renovate some of the thousands of abandoned houses around Detroit?
True, Detroit has many abandoned houses. The cost of renovation is high, as is the cost of maintaining a larger house. The electric bill including heat in the winter is estimated at $32 a month in a tiny home.
Cass Community Social Services has renovated buildings for housing, including a neighboring 41-unit apartment building. A tiny home can give a low-income individual or couple a chance at owning an asset, giving them opportunities to borrow money in the future. This tiny home program is the only home ownership program for people earning as little as $10,000 in the country.
Who can live in this community?
At least half of the renters will be formerly homeless people and the rest will be low-income seniors and students who have aged out of foster care. Residents need to have a steady income in order to qualify for this program.
One individual or a couple. Each tiny home has a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area. Each house is limited to two small pets.
Who will maintain the yard/exterior?
Residents will maintain their home and yards. Cass will loan residents lawnmowers, rakes, shovels, ladders, etc. The exteriors of the homes are mostly maintenance free.
How many homes will be in the community? When will they be built?
One model home was finished last fall, while six more were just completed. Three more will be started in June. The hope is to have at least 25 homes on these formerly vacant lots, as funding permits. If funding allows, Cass plans on building at least 10 more for families in a second phase.
Ground broke on Monday on the next phase of the tiny home community in Detroit. Currently, seven homes sit at Woodrow Wilson and the Lodge in a new development by Cass Community Social Services. Five more are now under construction, with the goal of building 25 total for the low-income population in Detroit.
The General Motors Foundation is helping by building and funding three of the houses for low-income women. The Cass Community Service’s Women in Motion program is aimed at helping women gain upward economic mobility. This tiny home program is the only rent-to-own model in the country !!
The GM funding will provide support to three low-income women who are either formerly homeless, seniors, or students aged out of foster care. This seven year rent-to-own model has the goal of helping women escape poverty with homeownership." Thanks Robin!
I personally think this is reasonable because 50 K is what you can spend just trying to fix a Detroit Land Bank house after you spent the 25 K to buy it ...
Note: NY taught me the value of affordability and working without killing myself. I am investigating building a tiny house and or- a motor home with a Pilates Studio inside - since Retirement is the surest way to age.
Check out below : The mirrored tiny home is an AirBnB in Sweden I am thinking that the mirrors allow it to please the fussy neighbors as well as be avant garde . Imagine this in NY - spend 50 K for the lot, but be architecturally famous . Or maybe go the railroad car/container route. Containers are more hurricane proof- hmmmmm
Fact: Upcoming Housing auction for normal peoplenot developers in Detroit - October 2017
Did you know that certain neighborhoods have been on the radar since at least 1890 ? Thanks to Alex Hill and his site Detroitography - the history of urban ideas in Detroit can be examined visually
see section 9 ----Fitzgerald is divided diagonally by JC Lodge Freeway aka M-10
In a Larry Gilbert original article in metrotimes.com Oct 4 2017 he mentions that he lives in the area. This area is a big project under the current mayor. Since the election will take place in a month, it is a part of Detroit that is not gentrified but is still getting attention- Fitzgerald is the experiment .
I was wondering what happens to people in urban experiments.
What if you want to be an active participant in your future?
I grew up with HUD. Model Cities , Urban Renewal and then I moved to NYC- Harlem.
clicking on box = easier to read
So many dollars so little results. Neoliberal thought and action means there is not a tendency to throw federal /state/civic money at anything too large/unpredictable . Experience has shown to legislatures that agencies designed to improve urban environments tend to be ineffective.
Better to use private money.
The unidentified 89 year old has her own money
so how much would she need to get a house in this improvement zone.???????
The less work needing to bring the house to habitation the better. So the first Detroit Housing Auction in September tends to move houses that are more readily fixable. Acccording to the official website bidder registration started in August
Provided that the bidder is sharp and sticks to deadlines and is Internet savvy , all they really need is money in the bank to bid on something decent- aka aPremium Property
1. The Auction will be conducted on the internet by the Treasurer, at
www.waynecountytreasurermi.com
Deposits and/or Bids
WILL NOT BE accepted
at the Office of the Wayne County Treasurer.
At the sole discretion of the Treasurer a property identified as a (decent property)
Premium Parcel may require a deposit of $25,000.00 and a registration fee of $35.00. A deposit of $25,000.00 will enable the bidder to bid on multiple properties.
In order to participate in the auction a deposit and registration fee are required.
To bid on one property the deposit is $1,000.00 with a registration fee of $35.00
Lower $$ attracts hipsters like me - all I want is a fixer upper with a taxable yard of @ 1000 sq feet so I can park the mobile home and not incur the wrath of the Zoning Board
Deposit payments shall be submitted by utilizing the auction screens in order to be transferred to J.P. Morgan Chase’s online payment system.
Hope you have a credit card because prepaid debit/credit cards are not accepted
What are you buying? You had better drive by it first. Be careful.... it could be occupied, so do not go in!! My retired cop friend warned me that if I was this a serious purchase call him so he could go along ... I had to admit it was not a bad idea, but since I was not in a rush to purchase I figured Zillow and a combination of Google Mapping and the auction.com site would do for this article.
Looking online in the Fitzgerald zipcode I quickly found a pleasant possibility
Thoroughly examine the zoning and plot info links to the Wayne County site that you need to consult before going to the bidding site www.waynecountytreasurermi.com
You need to do Due Diligence - there is a kiosk where you can look up parcels/info
You must check the deed information before you purchase a
parcel.
Deed information can be checked at the kiosk for free, at 400
Monroe Street, 7th Floor.
Finally, if you are feeling pretty comfortable about the purchase , review your contractors on Angie's List/ Home Adviser .com and vet their honesty. The main thing to know is their willingness to work in Fitzgerald - the Home Depot is on 7 mile and Meyers and they will be making lots of trips.
Do the math ---- on paper you need to have liquid approximately 5 times what it would take to make a home habitable in 6 months because it will be furnished ...
5 x 25,000 minus 25,000 for the auction is approximately 100,000 which should cover EVERY last Unforeseen, Emergency , Cursed Nain Rouge problem that can happen
Set aside 3.5 times the initial cost of the bid margin (25,000 x 3.5) for work by deadline : there is still a fixer upper deadline in these Special sales!Also assume you will need basic decent furniture/appliances that fits the house -stove, fridge, washer, dryer, bed, couch, table, chair ..
..adds up to the other 1.5 times the initial investment.(25,000 x 1.5 )
Guess who is not that affluent??? Despite saving $ by not paying average NYC rent , and having some $ in the bank , this writer decided it was too easy to spend 100 K total . Also This writer is not trying to flip anything since we never had 100 K to begin with.
If you want to simply retire and not be too worried about hurricanes, bad guardians , living wills, rising taxes, etc , it makes sense to move to Kentucky and grow tomatoes.
What can that 89 year old in 48227 do ?That 89 year old could easily overspend for her child and offspring. I hope you are using an online calculator, printing the results and asking yourself
Can it get done for less?
If you belong to the Boomer demographic (lets say Zoomer - Plan to Ski when retired) You are computer savvy compared to an 89 year old . In my case , the move back to the Detroit Metro area from NYC gave me a unique perspective. I could go hipster and be creative , even Detropia on this Land Bank and do something cool... using grant money along with my money, and I could plan it all out by research online. No tiny house in my future. Hello Brick House with features!!
That did not happen . Money went to other things , like school loans.
Despite tools, rough carpentry background and friends with skills the $500 dollar house was a fleeting dream-Even with me getting the permits and parking the motorhome on site with tools and a concealed permit, as suggested by my retired cop friend,I knew better... $500 dollars needs to be 50,000 - just the gas needed to transport materials would add up quickly. The obvious costs versus the hidden ones like security for the tools until the job was DONE.
(I would probably just hire security anyway which means the $500 dollar house is no longer at $500..)
But dreamers deserve to dream and maybe get a book out of their efforts...
Amy Haimerl and her partner Karl Kaebnick on the initial 35 K investment (which is $ amount total Wayne County Bid pg 5 of the auction rules .pdf cites for the Premium Parcel) They ended up spending a lot more.
Most 89 year old Detroiters cannot afford to do what Drew Phillips did either-
I have yet to find a memoir by a Boomer / Retiree or a Black Person or all three at once!
on restoring a house in Detroit.
This also explains why the Hungry Black Mandoes not see a Boomer / Retiree /Black Person Demographic ( the type that reads Black Enterprise, travels abroad and supports HBCU's)
Taking on a restoration project or even traveling to eat out is a no go. Being a homebody is probably true for those who live in my old neighborhood or Fitzgerald as well . Not easy to go out on the regular , driving and discovering the next cool thing that is popping up less than 10 miles via M10/Lodge Freeway . It should be easy to figure out that Boomers are not in the home renovation business in Detroit due to Life getting in the way. Yet they are the ones with some need to establish security - but not the 89 year old----- this will wreck her security ...
....Be kind to this 89 year old. Her auction project could be realized It is all about being in the Know and reading every last link in this article .... It is about doing doing the math. Consider the great Metropolitan area between the riverfront and the old Selfridge Air force base even though it is not all Oakland county . Money not extending far enough is the issue. The average cost of taxes, water bill, and electric resulted in a 9% increase in Oakland county in 2017 . If you are a retiree,your social security /pension had to absorb a 9 % increase from 2016-2017 just because you live in the general area between here and the closest farmland. (No stats for Detroit yet but lets say it went up about that much there too)
Your ability to absorb that 9% is based on an income above $37,000- which is easily done in Oakland county since the median income in @ 65 ,000 . Guess what the medium income is in Detroit ?
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