23 replies to this topic

[suydam]

Six homes will be removed to make way to 16 townhouse units along Bagley in EGR's Gaslight Village.

http://tinyurl.com/2ev2vm

Good points:
1) Higher density housing (17+ units per acre for the new development...that's pretty solid)
2) Walkable construction (developer seeks a setback of 40' compared to the current zoning of 58')
3) Re-use of existing land vs. sprawl  (not that EGR has sprawl options...it's primarily built out)
4) The homes being removed are (to the casual pedestrian at least) some of the more run down homes in EGR.

Bad points:
1) Price point on brand new town-homes in EGR is going to be higher than the existing housing that street (which is probably some of the cheapest housing in town based on the condition of the homes that are to be removed)

Edited by suydam, 07 August 2007 - 11:07 AM.

[michaelskis]

I wonder if they will demo the house or give them away to people who want to move them. If I remember there are a few nice cottages along that stretch.

Overall, I think it could be a cool project and if it is what the Master Plan asks for, I could see them being granted the setback and density requirements.

[terra firma]

michaelskis, on Aug 7 2007, 12:07 PM, said:

I wonder if they will demo the house or give them away to people who want to move them. If I remember there are a few nice cottages along that stretch.

Overall, I think it could be a cool project and if it is what the Master Plan asks for, I could see them being granted the setback and density requirements.

Who's the developer ?

[starrfish]

I see why the neighbors are bringing up the traffic concern - have you been around the EGR High School when school's in session? Now there's a traffic concern!! Anyone want to live across the street from the high school? I suppose if you have high school-aged kids... ?

Developers = Joe Hooker and Matt Miller (the article qualifies them as "local developers." No company name was mentioned.

*fish

[tSlater]

I think it'll be really nice for the area.  Hopefully they'll release some renderings sometime.

[blodgett]

The townhouses will reduce sprawl, because the GR area is one city economically, socially, geographically from Allendale to Ada.

[suydam]

blodgett, on Aug 8 2007, 09:04 AM, said:

The townhouses will reduce sprawl, because the GR area is one city economically, socially, geographically from Allendale to Ada.

I agree...higher density is a good thing, especially in the inner-ring.

[EGR-ARCHI]

Maybe they should consider a traffic light at the intersection of Bagley and Wealthy. The traffic build up is a legit concern and something that the city must take very seriously. Isn't that the same street that ends on the Jade Pig retail development? If so you can add the increasing traffic as that development continues to fill its vacant spaces and draw more people down Bagley and the adjacent streets. Not to mention the additional traffic from the yet to be determined Jade Pig Condo's.

[tSlater]

I just drove down that street today on my way to work and must say, I can see how people would be concerned.  The street is rather narrow.. able to support two lanes and nothing else.  No parking signs on both sides.  I wonder if the city owns enough ROW to widen the street by one lane to offer a left-turn lane onto Wealthy and fill the rest of the stretch with some on-street parking?  As far as traffic is concerned, however, as of 4:30-4:35-ish today I was the only car on that street.

If it's more of a concern of adding traffic to Wealthy, could the option of promoting Lakeshore Drive as an alternate thoroughfare be explored?  Both lead directly into Eastwon, and are never far from eachother.  Moreover, Lakeshore Drive will lead you straight into Downtown if needed.

[ericnmu]

tSlater, on Aug 8 2007, 09:09 PM, said:

I just drove down that street today on my way to work and must say, I can see how people would be concerned.  The street is rather narrow.. able to support two lanes and nothing else.  No parking signs on both sides.  I wonder if the city owns enough ROW to widen the street by one lane to offer a left-turn lane onto Wealthy and fill the rest of the stretch with some on-street parking?  As far as traffic is concerned, however, as of 4:30-4:35-ish today I was the only car on that street.

If it's more of a concern of adding traffic to Wealthy, could the option of promoting Lakeshore Drive as an alternate thoroughfare be explored?  Both lead directly into Eastwon, and are never far from eachother.  Moreover, Lakeshore Drive will lead you straight into Downtown if needed.

I believe you mean Lake Dr.
I've lived in East most of my life, I and everyone I know only use Wealthy as access to Gaslight.

[tSlater]

With Wealthy closed between Eastern and Whatever (can't remember the road on the eastern side of the construction zone) I discovered yesterday that Franklin is a good way to access Gaslight as well.  It continues on to become San Lu? and further turns into Bagley.. the street that leads straight to the fountain sculpture.  Very residential between Bagley and Franklin, but could also be used a good route there.

[concretepoem]

suydam, on Aug 7 2007, 11:03 AM, said:

Six homes will be removed to make way to 16 townhouse units along Bagley in EGR's Gaslight Village.

Bad points:
1) Price point on brand new town-homes in EGR is going to be higher than the existing housing that street (which is probably some of the cheapest housing in town based on the condition of the homes that are to be removed)

These hit the MLS in the last day or so...http://public.grar.com/public/pubrecn.mac/start?MLS=726696

$399,900 gets you a 1600 sq.ft 2/2 condo...they better be really really nice inside.

Note the 'Lincoln-Park' -like reference in the listing.

[GRDadof3]

concretepoem, on Aug 11 2008, 08:39 PM, said:

These hit the MLS in the last day or so...http://public.grar.com/public/pubrecn.mac/start?MLS=726696

$399,900 gets you a 1600 sq.ft 2/2 condo...they better be really really nice inside.

Note the 'Lincoln-Park' -like reference in the listing.

The MLS you listed is 1359 sf for $389,000 with a one-car garage.  $300/sf for a townhouse?  Ludicrous.  This ain't Arlington, VA.

[PR-15]

GRDadof3, on Aug 11 2008, 08:46 PM, said:

The MLS you listed is 1359 sf for $389,000 with a one-car garage.  $300/sf for a townhouse?  Ludicrous.  This ain't Arlington, VA.

Uh...totally agree.  No one in their right mind would pay that much for a condo located right next to EGR high school.  I think $190,000-320,000 is a better range for that street.

On a side note, I'm not sure The Fitzgerald ever recovered from coming out of the gate too aggressively priced...even though they dialed back the plan and lowered the price point (I could be wrong but that project seems stalled).

[GRDadof3]

PR-15, on Aug 11 2008, 10:05 PM, said:

Uh...totally agree.  No one in their right mind would pay that much for a condo located right next to EGR high school.  I think $190,000-320,000 is a better range for that street.

On a side note, I'm not sure The Fitzgerald ever recovered from coming out of the gate too aggressively priced...even though they dialed back the plan and lowered the price point (I could be wrong but that project seems stalled).

And it seems like "The Derby" in Gaslight Village isn't going up any time soon, despite retooling and repricing that project.

[suydam]

Ahh the joys of a softened real estate market.

I'm surprised they put these Bagley units on MLS at all right now.

There are already 44 properties for sale in EGR from $190k-$300k
and an additional 25 properties for sale from $300k-$400k

The town is only 3 square miles... so at either price point (the real one, or PR-15's proposed one) I think they're going to have a rough go.  Maybe they're trying to beat The Derby to the punch.

[GRDadof3]

suydam, on Aug 12 2008, 10:40 AM, said:

Ahh the joys of a softened real estate market.

I'm surprised they put these Bagley units on MLS at all right now.

There are already 44 properties for sale in EGR from $190k-$300k
and an additional 25 properties for sale from $300k-$400k

The town is only 3 square miles... so at either price point (the real one, or PR-15's proposed one) I think they're going to have a rough go.  Maybe they're trying to beat The Derby to the punch.

Well in the MLS description, they say "Finally.  What everyone has been waiting for".  If that were true, wouldn't they have been pre-sold even before the listings hit the MLS?  

I do think if they built them and priced them at the $190's to $250's, much like Fairmount Square, they'd have a pretty good chance of selling them.

[suydam]

GRDadof3, on Aug 12 2008, 12:04 PM, said:

Well in the MLS description, they say "Finally.  What everyone has been waiting for".  If that were true, wouldn't they have been pre-sold even before the listings hit the MLS?  

I do think if they built them and priced them at the $190's to $250's, much like Fairmount Square, they'd have a pretty good chance of selling them.

I agree... a lower price point would help their cause immensely.

I wish them luck... that block would benefit from some sprucing up.

[PR-15]

GRDadof3, on Aug 11 2008, 09:53 PM, said:

And it seems like "The Derby" in Gaslight Village isn't going up any time soon, despite retooling and repricing that project.

whoops, yep...I meant "The Derby"...not The Fitz.

[GRDadof3]

Old, old thread, but the rental homes have all been removed for these townhouses (Bagley Townhomes?):