Mack Avenue Strong Neighborhoods Plan

MACK AVENUE STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS PLAN

June 2019

Prepared for MACC Development by City Form Detroit

INTRODUCTION

Working hand-in-hand with neighborhood residents and stakeholders, MACC Development is leading the Mack Avenue Strong Neighborhoods Plan to develop strategies to strengthen residential housing in the neighborhoods north of Mack, south of Warren, between East Grand Boulevard and Fischer Streets. City Form Detroit, a Detroit-based urban design practice, assisted MACC Development throughout the planning effort. A neighborhood residential market survey provided up-to-date data directly from residents to assess current home sales, rents, investment, and neighborhood priorities to ensure affordability and resident retention as core principles of the plan. Taking the survey data and input from multiple community conversations, the team developed a range of strategies to strengthen the neighborhood. Strategies focused on Housing & Amenities, Open Space & Vacant Land, Sylvester-Seyburn Park, Pingree Park, and East Grand Boulevard. Community members reviewed the strategies and determined neighborhood priorities moving forward. From these priorities, the report offers a toolkit of projects and programs for MACC Development to implement the plan working closely with neighborhood residents and stakeholders. Additionally the report outlines areas of advocacy that MACC Development can use to facilitate discussion and support from the City of Detroit with the bottom-line goal that residents benefit from future planning and investment in the neighborhood.

The Mack Avenue Strong Neighborhoods Plan is a community-led vision and set of strategies to strengthen residential housing in the neighborhoods north of Mack, south of Warren, between Grand Boulevard and Fischer Street.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The Mack Avenue Strong Neighborhoods Plan is a communityled vision and set of strategies. That means the plan is created by neighborhood residents for neighborhood residents. MACC Development is the implementer of the plan and will work on behalf of the community to achieve its vision.

The community engagement for the Mack Avenue Strong Neighborhoods Plan was set-up to help achieve these goals. There were three community meetings held at The Commons on November 8, 2018, February 13, 2019, and April 30, 2019. Over 40 people attended each of the meetings that focused on neighborhood assets and concerns, neighborhood improvement strategies, and the implementation toolkit respectively. Boards and activities were set-up to record feedback from community members.

The project also undertook extensive surveying of residents to better understand the housing market and what makes a strong neighborhood. Paper surveys were distributed to residents at their homes and at block club meetings. The Commons, coffee shop and laundromat, also conducted two survey events where volunteers provided customers with surveys and offered a free cup of coffee with each completed surveys. Online surveys were distributed through neighborhood email lists and Facebook. Only surveys completed by neighborhood residents were compiled. The 71 completed surveys represented nearly 10% of the neighborhood providing a diverse sample of long-time and new residents, seniors, young families, and single homeowners and renters.

The project also utilized roaming project boards that were taken to block club and neighborhood meetings to provide information and solicit residents’ feedback. The boards were displayed at The Commons throughout the project. The following pages represent the results of the engagement work that reflect the community created vision and set of strategies to create a strong neighborhood.

71 Homeowner/Renter Surveys Received From Residents

3 Community Meetings

5 Neighborhood Meetings

2 Survey Events

Over 600 Unique Website Visitors

Over 200 Event Attendees

Over 1,000 People Engaged As Part of the Project Development

MARKET SUMMARY

A neighborhood residential market survey was conducted for the project from November, 2018-March, 2019. Over 70 surveys were collected from neighborhood residents representing nearly 10% of overall households who live in the project area. Two surveys were distributed: one to renters and one to homeowners. Summaries of each are below:

Homeowner Survey: Surveys were collected from people who have lived in their homes from as far back as 1942. The largest number of surveys were returned from people who moved to the neighborhood since 2013, reflecting a growing interest in the neighborhood. Affordability and community were cited as the primary reasons for moving to the neighborhood. 40% of sales carried a mortgage while another 40% were purchased with cash. The median sales price was less than $20,000 with the majority of sales for less than $40,000. After purchase, homeowners have invested significant amount into the renovation of their homes. The median total investment including purchase plus renovation expenses was between $40,000$80,000. Interviews with local realtors revealed that some 2019 sales prices have exceeded $125,000, showing the recent rise in prices.

Recommendation: Target purchase plus renovation costs between $80,000-$120,000 for resale properties.

Renter survey: All survey respondents have lived in their rental unit less than 10 years with the median less than one year and the majority less than three years. 70% of renters live in single family homes. Most renters cited affordability and location as the reasons why they chose their home. Rents ranged from less than $200/month up to $1,400/month. The median rent was between $600-$800/month. 77% of renters said they had not experienced a rent increase in the last three years. 92% of renters said their rent was either a bargain or just right, indicating that current rental rates are affordable for most residents.

Recommendation: Target rents between $600-$800/month to maintain affordability in the neighborhood.

NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES

The Mack Avenue Strong Neighborhoods Plan identifies five focus areas for neighborhood improvements. They are: Housing & Amenities, Open Space & Vacant Land, Sylvester-Seyburn Park, Pingree Park, and East Grand Boulevard.

Within the overall project area, there are two different neighborhoods with very different characteristics. The neighborhood east of Maxwell Street is anchored by Pingree Park. It is characterized by denser housing with most blocks retaining most of their historic structures in tact. There are multiple schools and churches in the neighborhood, some occupied, some vacant, that provide visual, physical, and social anchors for the community.

The neighborhood west of Maxwell has lower housing density with larger quantities of open space between structures. Seyburn Park and the adjacent former-Sylvester School site provide a large green public space at the center of the neighborhood.

At the western edge of the project site is East Grand Boulevard. With its beautiful historic homes, many now converted to senior care and social service providers, and wide grassy median at the center of the street, East Grand Boulevard still retains much of its former grandeur, but is pock-marked by vacancy and neglect.

At the southern edge of the project site is Mack Avenue. It is the former commercial corridor that supported neighborhood retail, but now has a significant amount of vacant land and vacant buildings. Several churches make their home on Mack Avenue that have provided stability as other parts of the avenue have declined. Recent projects like The Commons are bringing neighborhood retail back to the avenue.

In the following pages, a range of neighborhood improvement strategies were proposed at community meetings and in resident surveys. The most popular strategies are indicated and should be considered highest priorities as MACC Development begins implementation of the plan.

Five focus areas:

1. Housing & Amenities

2. Open Space & Vacant Land

3. Sylvester-Seyburn Park

4. Pingree Park

5. East Grand Boulevard

SylvesterSeyburn Park

East Grand Boulevard

Pingree Park

Mack Avenue Corridor

Open Space & Vacant Land

Housing Amenities&

HOUSING & AMENITIES

Neighborhood residents overwhelmingly supported housing affordability and improvements that support existing residents as the highest neighborhood priority. Two strategies came out of this interest: a program to help residents improve their homes and a program to redevelop vacant structures to provide new affordable housing. The next highest priority was to develop neighborhood-oriented retail and services. MACC Development should work with provide to support business owners to ensure that goods and services are needed, accessible, and affordable to neighborhood residents. Finally, infrastructure improvements that increase safety including street lighting, sidewalk repairs, and traffic calming within the neighborhood were high priority for neighborhood residents.

Action Plan

1. Create development pro-forma and maintenance plan for first set of vacant home renovations. Present plan to City of Detroit Housing & Revitalization Department and Detroit Land Bank Authority to start property acquisition process.

2. Meet with property owners along Mack Avenue to assess current interest in developing properties and propose partnership to identify and recruit neighborhood-oriented retail and service businesses.

3. Meet with City of Detroit Department of Public Works to develop Safe Routes to Schools plan to improve sidewalks and lighting along key streets around neighborhood schools.

4. Work with neighborhood to identify locations for speed humps to decrease traffic speeds through neighborhood. Meet with City of Detroit Department of Public Works to discuss implementation.

5. Identify street flooding locations. At those locations, consider incorporating stormwater gardens pilot projects. Meet with City of Detroit Department of Public Works and Detroit Water and Sewerage Department of discuss implementation.

1.

2.

Develop strategy to purchase and rehabilitate vacant homes to bring back into productive use and repopulate the neighborhood.

Identify, attract, and assist with development of businesses that provide retail amenities and services that specifically support needs of neighborhood residents.

Create gardens adjacent to city roadways and sidewalks that absorb stormwater and help to decrease street and sidewalk flooding.

Improve street and sidewalk infrastructure including additional lighting and sidewalk repairs to increase safety and accessibility throughout the neighborhood.

5. Barbour School Redevelopment

Identify and recruit high-quality developer and represent the needs of neighborhood residents to ensure that redevelopment supports the community.

6. Food/Community Events Program regular community events to enhance neighborhood identity and bring residents together to enhance neighborhood spirit and camaraderie.

7. Pocket Parks

Identify vacant parcels within the neighborhood to create communitydeveloped gardens and gathering spaces.

8. Traffic Calming

Introduce speed humps, signage, and pavement markings to slow traffic traveling down residential streets,

Vacant Home Rehab/Resale

Neighborhood Retail & Services

3. Stormwater Gardens

4. Lighting and Sidewalks

OPEN SPACE & VACANT LAND

The highest priority of neighborhood residents was the demolition of vacant and dangerous buildings in the neighborhood. Once the land is cleared of these dangerous structures, the next highest priority was to ensure that neighborhood residents have first access to the cleared land if they should want to maintain it. Given the large quantity of vacant land, not all the land will be able to be returned to use homeowners, creative uses of the open spaces that support the community should be considered. A stormwater pond to redirect rainwater away from roads and basements had wide community support. Additionally, community gathering spaces like gardens and event spaces were popular uses for vacant land.

Action Plan

1. Provide Land Bank with list of vacant and dangerous buildings for demolition based on community concerns.

2. Provide information to residents on the City of Detroit Side Lot Program to ensure residents who want to acquire side lots are able to. Act as resident advocate to Detroit Land Bank Authority to ensure sales on completed.

3. Work with neighborhood block clubs to determine appropriate open space and vacant land management strategies for each street. Provide examples including Stormwater Pond, Community Gardens, and Event Spaces.

4. Explore the possibility of forming a community land trust (CLT) to return vacant land to community uses. CLT will require a detailed maintenance and funding plan.

5. After neighborhood-appropriate sites are selected meet with City of Detroit Planning Department, Erb Foundation, Detroit Future City, and Detroit Water & Sewerage Department to discuss vacant land stormwater management pilot projects.

Work with local artists to create art pieces on vacant land to beautify the neighborhood and create greater sense of place and identity.

Plant fruit trees to beautify neighborhood and provide healthy food source to neighborhood residents.

Plant low-maintenance, perennial gardens on vacant land to improve appearance of vacant land, enhance ecosystem for pollinators, and prevent illegal dumping.

Work with the City of Detroit to identify vacant and dangerous buildings for demolition throughout the neighborhood.

Use vacant land to create community gathering spaces for events such as picnics, movies, or performances.

Create food gardens to harvest and provide healthy public food source for neighborhood residents.

Create large-scale stormwater retention pond to provide beautiful neighborhood amenity that helps alleviate flooding and enhances natural environment.

Provide information to residents and facilitate purchase of vacant lots owned by the City of Detroit to adjacent homeowners.

1. Public Art

5. Event Space

2. Orchard

3. Wildflower Meadows

4. Demolitions

6. Community Gardens

7. Stormwater Pond

8. Sidelot Purchases

SYLVESTER-SEYBURN PARK

Seyburn Park and the cleared Sylvester School site hold the potential to be a public space that anchors the neighborhoods west of Van Dyke. Currently a pastoral space with mowed lawns and mature trees, the park has little to draw residents into the park. Working with adjacent residents and block clubs, an appropriate mix and design of park amenities should be developed for the park. A perimeter walking path, fitness stations, and a playground received the most support during the project engagement and should be considered a phase 1 for new amenities. Additional ideas around sustainability were popular including community gardens to ensure food security and solar panels to provide low-cost, renewable energy to neighborhood residents received strong support.

Action Plan

1. Meet with surrounding block clubs to discuss plans for the park and build support. Develop community-led plan including walking path, playground, athletic field, and community and meadow garden locations.

2. Meet with City of Detroit General Services Department to discuss transfer of former Sylvester School site to City to create one consolidated park.

3. Assess City of Detroit General Services Department interest in park improvements. In collaboration with GSD, create budget for walking path and playground based on similar scale projects at other City parks.

4. Develop fundraising strategy including crowdsourcing platforms and philanthropic grants.

5. Work with neighborhood block clubs and non-profits to implement low-cost plan elements, including community gardens and low-maintenance meadow gardens.

Create food gardens to harvest and provide healthy public food source for neighborhood residents.

Develop solar field to provide self-sufficient, renewable source of energy to neighborhood residents and reduce

Create maintained fields for sports and recreation activities including soccer, baseball, and basketball.

Create large-scale stormwater feature, pond or lake, to prevent neighborhood flooding and provide beautiful natural amenity to park.

Build high-quality playscape for kids to have place to play within the neighborhood.

1. Walking Paths

Create paved perimeter walking path around Seyburn Park and Sylvester School site.

5. Fitness Stations

Locate fitness stations along walking path to promote and facilitate exercise.

2. Meadow Garden Plant low-maintenance, perennial gardens to beautify park and enhance ecosystem for pollinators.

3. Solar Field

utility bills.

4. Sports/Recreation

6. Community Gardens

7. Stormwater Wetland

8. Playground

PINGREE PARK

Pingree Park is a great neighborhood asset and has seen considerable investment of time, talent, and resources by MACC Development and the City of Detroit to make improvements to the park in recent years, including new basketball courts, sports fields, playground, and walking paths. The next step will be to integrate more community-driven programming to better activate the park throughout the year. Community feedback showed strong support for outdoor movies and a market for local residents to sell their goods or start a business. Furthermore, an ice rink was supported as a way to bring people to the park in the winter. (Elders in the community fondly remembered an ice rink there in their youth.) Finally, the redevelopment of the vacant Hillger School holds great promise to support the park if done in a way that is responsive to the needs and interests of the community. Efforts should be made to work with developers to ensure that the voice of the community is heard during the redevelopment process.

Action Plan

1. Dedicate existing staff or create a new dedicated staff position to develop park programming. Develop summer movie, performance, and outdoor market schedule. Expand MACC Sports to include adult leagues.

2. Meet with owners of Hillger School to discuss sale of building and development proposal. Offer to provide assistance with City approvals as part of community-driven design and development process.

3. Meet with City of Detroit General Services Department to discuss next phase of park amenities, including an ice/roller skating rink. Develop fundraising strategy including public, private, and philanthropic grants to fund new amenities.

Set-up small-scale stage to facilitate neighborhood-appropriate concerts and performances.

Create and maintain fenced, offleash dog park as amenity for neighborhood residents.

Expand current MACC Sports offerings to include additional leagues, including adult sports leagues.

Program park food events including picnics, barbecues, tastings, food trucks, or farmers markets to expand food amenities in neighborhood.

Create seasonal ice rink (winter) and roller skating rink (summer) to expand all-seasons activities in the park.

Identify and recruit high-quality developer and represent the needs of neighborhood residents to ensure that redevelopment supports the community.

1. Outdoor Movies Program regular public outdoor movie series in the park.

5. Marketplace Program regular public marketplace in the park for neighborhood business owners to sell their goods and services.

2. Park Concerts

3. Dog Park

4. Sports Leagues

6. Food Events

7. Ice Rink

8. Hillger School Redevelopment

EAST GRAND BOULEVARD

East Grand Boulevard is a historically important city street connecting neighborhood residents to Belle Isle and Jefferson Avenue. The boulevard north of Mack Avenue has large grassy medians that hold the potential for greater use and beautification. Residents strongly supported plans for a new walking and biking paths through the boulevard median. As part of the creation of these new walking paths, residents wanted to see crosswalks improved to provide greater safety while crossing the street. Many neighborhood elders fondly recalled the historic homes and attractive streetscape along the boulevard. There was wide support for bring back to life the historic properties along the boulevard with affordable housing. A plan will need to be created by residents, stakeholders, and the City of Detroit that supports redevelopment along the boulevard with specific recommendations and projects to improve the streetscape and identify uses and funding for residential and commercial development projects.

Action Plan

1. Bring together East Grand Boulevard non-profits and stakeholders to form consensus and assign roles around creation of East Grand Boulevard Revitalization Plan.

2. Meet with City of Detroit Planning and Development Department to propose, build support, and identify potential funders for East Grand Boulevard Revitalization Plan.

3. Meet with City of Detroit Department of Public Works to discuss potential for median walking path/off-road bike path, improved pedestrian crossings, and median plantings.

4. With approval from City of Detroit Department of Public Works, develop plan for median walking path/off-road bike path.

5. Meet with Greening of Detroit and Detroit Future City to explore concepts for low-maintenance plantings and green

Create paved walking path through the medians

Improve signage, signals, pavement markings, and pedestrian refuges to slow traffic and improve safety for pedestrians.

Plant diverse species of trees along the street/median and provide educational signage to teach children and adults about the natural environment.

Rehabilitate and redevelop historic properties along East Grand Boulevard for affordable housing and neighborhood amenities.

Create off-road bike path through center median to separate bikes from cars and pedestrians and improve safety.

Create gardens within East Grand Boulevard median and along sidewalks to absorb stormwater and help to decrease street and sidewalk flooding.

Introduce beautiful, lowmaintenance plantings within the boulevard median.

Develop new construction affordable housing and neighborhood amenities along East Grand Boulevard.

1. Median Walking Path

along East Grand Boulevard.

5. Off Road Bike Path

2. Crosswalk Improvements

3. Urban Arboretum

4. Historic Rehabilitation

6. Stormwater Garden

7. Median Plantings

8. New Infill Development

IMPLEMENTATION TOOLKIT: PROJECTS & PROGRAMS

The implementation toolkit for the Mack Avenue Strong Neighborhoods plan includes two focus areas: Advocacy and Projects & Programs.

Advocacy involves MACC Development advocating for change and representing residents’ interests for projects & programs administered by others, such as helping the residents purchase land from the City of Detroit’s side lot program or representing the community’s interests as private developers rehabilitate vacant school properties.

Projects & Programs focuses on the projects that MACC Development will lead or partner with others to implement. The projects and programs were developed out of the Mack Avenue Strong Neighborhoods community engagement process. They fall under five categories: Affordable Housing, Economic Empowerment, Public Safety, Green Space, Parks & Public Spaces, and Neighborhood Identity. They are described in the pages that follow.

Each project & program will require significant investment in time, talent, and resources to be successful. Therefore it will be important to be strategic about which projects & programs MACC Development will lead and which can be implemented by others, such as block clubs, churches, or other non-profits, with support from MACC Development. The key to success will be creating a network of engaged and empowered stakeholders who are constantly in communication with neighborhood residents to ensure that the projects and programs are supported by the community.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Affordable Rent-To-Own Program MACC Development will acquire homes in the neighborhood to renovate. Houses in the program will be offered at affordable rental rates ($600-$800/month). If a renter lives in the house and pays rent for 10 years, the title to the house will be transferred to the renter as a tool to help build wealth for low-income families.

Mack Retail Corridor Redevelopment Building on the Mack Avenue Corridor Strategy, MACC Development will work with property owners to rehabilitate buildings along the corridor and assist with new retail attraction and recruitment to identify retailers that will support community interests.

Neighborhood Home Improvement Grant Program A portion of the homes that MACC Development acquires will be renovated and sold at market rates. Profits from the sale of the houses will be used to fund a home improvement grant program. Small-scale home improvement grants, between $5,000-$10,000 will be available to long-time residents for a variety of home improvements, including siding, roof repair, electrical/plumbing repair, and landscaping.

Neighbors-Helping-Neighbors Program MACC Development will create, maintain, and disseminate a list of licensed and insured contractors who live within the community to undertake projects as part of Affordable Rent-To-Own and Neighborhood Home Improvement Grant Program.Additionally MACC Development will provide information to residents who are interested in skilled trades programs to expand list of contractors who live within the neighborhood.

GREEN SPACE PUBLIC SAFETY

Stormwater Gardens/Street Flooding Mitigation MACC Development will identify streets that experience frequent street flooding and work with the City of Detroit to build stormwater gardens. The gardens collect excess rain water and move it out of the street to planted gardens that naturally filtrate the water into the soil.

Neighborhood Watch Program MACC Development will work with the community to develop a neighborhood watch program. Possible strategies include: crime deterring signage, community-based patrols, and collaboration with the police department with an emphasis on restorative justice rather than more policing.

Neighborhood Commons Community Gardens Partner with interested block clubs to create multi-purpose community gardens within the neighborhood. The community garden can incorporate art pieces reflecting neighborhood culture, gathering spaces, children’s play areas, improved lighting, in addition to flower and vegetable gardens. The design of the garden to be undertaken in a community-led process.

Traffic Calming Speed Humps MACC Development will work with the City of Detroit to install speed humps to slow traffic on residential streets. Possible streets include: Burns, Iroquois, Seminole, and Canfield.

Sylvester-Seyburn Park Walking Path & Playground MACC

Development will work with the City of Detroit parks department, to install a new walking path, playground, and recreation fields at Sylvester-Seyburn Park, working with neighboring block clubs to ensure that residents’ voices are heard as part of the design process.

Neighborhood Signage Working with residents, MACC

Development will create attractive neighborhood signage to identify neighborhoods along Mack Avenue and build a stronger sense of place along the corridor.

Pingree Park Roller/Ice Skating Rink MACC Development will work with City of Detroit parks department to install an all-seasons roller and ice skating rink.

Mack Avenue Green Neighborhood Plan Building on the Green

New Deal, MACC Development will undertake future planning to meet sustainability goals of the neighborhood: explore power production on vacant land with solar panels to lower electricity bills for residents; expand food availability through community gardens; capture rainwater before it enters the City sewer system and pollutes the Detroit River.

IMPLEMENTATION TOOLKIT: ADVOCACY

Advocacy involves MACC Development representing the rights and interests of neighborhood residents. It involves providing information to neighborhood residents about programs that could benefit them. It involves participating in the network of organizations that are doing work to make improvements within the neighborhood. It involves listening to the community to help to be its voice when speaking with the City or other institutions. As part of the Mack Avenue Strong Neighborhoods Plan three areas of Advocacy were identified: Parks Programming, Vacant Land Management, and Neighborhood Development.

Parks Programming involves close involvement with the City of Detroit General Services/Parks Department and neighborhood groups to bring neighborhood-supported events to Pingree and Seyburn Parks. Potential partnerships include sports leagues, like Detroit PAL, arts and cultural organizations, like the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, or market operators, like Genesis Hope or Eastern Market Corporation.

Vacant Land Management advocacy involves creating a direct voice from the community to the City of Detroit/Detroit Land Bank Authority to address vacant land issues. MACC Development, working closely with the community, should maintain an on-going list of vacant and dangerous buildings within the neighborhood to be included as part of the city’s demolition pipeline. Additional MACC Development should work to make residents aware of the Detroit Land Bank Side Lot Sale program. Efforts should be made to reduce barriers to side lot ownership including cost and land transfer process.

Neighborhood Development advocacy involves identifying key future development projects within the neighborhood and working with developers to represent the interests of the community are heard as development proceeds. Successful partnership will facilitate and expedite development while ensuring residents also benefit from the project.

Expanded Pingree Park Programming MACC Development will work with partner organizations, churches, arts organizations, and the City of Detroit Parks Department, to expand park programming including markets, performances, and adult sports leagues.

PARKS PROGRAMMING

VACANT LAND MANAGEMENT

Demolitions MACC Development will work with residents to identify vacant and dangerous buildings to be demolished by the Detroit Land Bank Authority, acting as the voice of the community.

Hillger & Barbour Schools Redevelopment MACC Development will help recruit high-quality developers to purchase and redevelop Hillger and Barbour Schools. Act as voice of community to ensure that residents and neighbors interests are incorporated into development plans.

Land Bank Side Lot Sales Program MACC Development will provide information to residents regarding the Detroit Land Bank Authority’s Side Lot Acquisition Program. Facilitate resident acquisition process by providing a direct link to City staff.

East Grand Boulevard Revitalization Strategy MACC Development will work with partners, stakeholders, and the City of Detroit to develop a comprehensive redevelopment strategy for East Grand Boulevard from Warren to Jefferson. Include streetscape improvements including a pedestrianized boulevard as part of the redevelopment plans. Ensure that community interests are integral to the planning process.