East Hills: Past, Present, Future

by Rachel Lee

The East Hills neighborhood has a unique history that adds to its current vibrant character. It has, however, taken a lot of hard work and citizen involvement to regain some of the character that the neighborhood possessed in its early beginnings. The majority of the East Hills neighborhood was built in the late 19 th Century, when it was made up of orchards and farms. During the late 1800s, the city of Grand Rapids experienced the effects of the industrial revolution and massive immigration of Europeans. Many of these different ethnic groups settled in the East Hills area of the city because it was accessible due to the streetcar. These walkable communities connected the residents to schools, churches, commercial needs, industrial, and transit. Development occurred along transit routes at the time in form of the streetcar, which went along Cherry Street, Eastern Avenue, Lake Drive, Wealthy Street, and Union Avenue making it easy for the residents to travel downtown or to Reeds Lake. From 1870 to 1920 the population of Grand Rapids grew from 16,507 to 137,634. The local businesses began to grow along with the neighborhoods and offered goods to the residents. For years the neighborhood served its residents and was considered a safe neighborhood for families.

During the 1960’s East Hills went from being a thriving active community to a neighborhood filled with blight, crime, and abandonment. This was quite a different picture than that of its early beginnings, as the area was left for neglect as residents headed for the newly created suburbs.

Along with the Urban Renewal demolitions that occurred in the downtown area during the 1960s and 1970s, the face of inner city neighborhoods in Grand Rapids drastically changed for the worse. Public transit, which was for many years a popular choice of travel, also experienced huge cutbacks due to the affordability of the automobile. Rather than facing these issues head-on, many people continued to leave to the suburbs.

With the absence of homeowners, large amounts of housing were bought up by slumlords. Long term businesses also left the area for the suburbs leaving buildings vacant with boarded up storefronts for illicit activity to occur. Drugs and gangs became prevalent in the area and long term neighbors began to feel angry and determined to regain their community. It is often said that the best way to unite a group of people is to find a common enemy or target. In the 1980s, the nonprofit organization East Hills Council of Neighbors was formed to face the common enemies and take back the neighborhood that they once loved. The involvement of a few concerned residents became a sustainable neighborhood association that has changed the fate of East Hills.

Wealthy St at night

The vision of the East Hills Council of Neighbors is to provide guidance, assistance, direction, and information in the areas of housing, public safety, education, local economic development and community development for the people who live, own property, and work in the neighborhood.

Since 2004, East Hills has experienced tremendous growth as new shops, restaurants, breweries, bars, and coffee shops have opened within its three business districts of East Fulton, East Hills, and Wealthy Street. In addition, housing is in great demand. Single family houses in East Hills, on average, are sold within one week of being listed for sale. The rental market in East Hills is highly competitive. Over the next two years, eighty-one new market-rate living units are proposed to be added to our neighborhood along the Cherry Street and Wealthy Street corridors. Foot traffic and bicycle traffic along all of our streets increase 100% every year. The Rapid bus covers the East Hills area with five routes: Route 4, 5, 6, 14, and 19. The streets in East Hills are not just busy with people on weekends; it’s every day of the year, regardless of the weather.

About the Author

The presentation from Rachel Lee will focus on the history of development of the three business districts within the East Hills neighborhood. Rachel Lee is a long-term resident and volunteer in the East Hills neighborhood since 2000. Rachel has led multiple projects related to community economic development and green infrastructure to benefit the neighborhood. She currently serves on the City of Grand Rapids, Bicycle Safety Education Steering Committee and the Strengthening Neighborhoods Task Force; the Neighborhood Coalition and Good Neighbor Committee. She has served as the Co-Chair of the East Hills Council of Neighbors from 2012-August 2013, President of the East Hills Business Association from 2006-2010, Board of Directors for the Wealthy Street Business Alliance from 2003-2010, Chairwoman of the Uptown Advisory Council from 2007-2009, Board of Directors for the East Hills Council of Neighbors from 2001-2003, and a member of the Local Planning Committee for the Michigan Historic Preservation Network in 2009. Rachel received a 2013 Special Recognition Award from City of Grand Rapids Historic Preservation Commission and she was a Woman of East Hills honoree in 2010 and a Logie Award Nominee for the 2009 Neighborhood Business Alliance Awards. She has written and partnered on numerous grants bringing a total of $600,000 in funds for projects in the East Hills and Uptown area. She has her B.S. from Grand Valley State University, School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration. Rachel is passionate about: local history and historic preservation; urban planning and placemaking; supporting local businesses; parks, public spaces and walkable-bicycle-friendly neighborhoods; Mid-Century Modern and Vintage Design; community emergency management and infrastructure planning; and urban living with her two sons Logan and Lyon Lee, her heart and soul.

“East Hills: Past, Present, Future”, Thursday, January 14, 2016, 7:00 p.m.Aquinas College—Donnelly Center, presented by Rachel Lee.