131 replies to this topic

[VeeFan]

I'd really like to see a tennis stadium. The ATP and WTA draw in huge crowds for their tournaments, even the Tier IV tournaments which are the smallest.

[dnast]

That'd be interesting. I'm guessing from your avatar you play tennis. There's definitely hope for the city if tennis draws a crowd. I'm thinking a general sports arena would do the same job though.  

I'm not the biggest tennis fan, although I don't find it boring. It would be nice just to have the option of watching some good tennis matches. Variety is the key. It's funny when people from larger cities ask "What do you do for fun at home?" You tell them, and it's basically the same things they do.

[VeeFan]

Tennis is the only sport I'll watch, the others are alright, tennis is just more interesting to me.  It's kind of sad that the closest professional tennis tournament is Toronto.

Plus, if Flint could actually host a tennis tournament that'd be a good sign that the city is becoming safer.

[Pachuco]

If downtown flint can get a blockbusters, a type of shoe store it would bring a whole crowd of  teens, adults and seniors.

[bobliocatt]

I would like to see the city's tallest tower (forgot the name, but the one in danger of being demolished), reonvated as a mixed use project, with a new facade, that will serve as a signature building for the city's skyline.

[Zettelman]

Has anyone ever completed a target market analysis for downtown Flint?  What is the reality of bring thousands of residences downtown without working on the existing neighborhoods first?  I dont know that Genesee County can produce and retain the young, single, and professional populations that would thrive downtown anywhere near the scale of GR.  

Perhaps concentrating on student housing and the connection between UM-F and Kettering is key, along with community development efforts in the surrouding neighborhoods.  I may suffer from a lack of vision, but I see downtown success coming from small steps and from serving and being served by local populations before I see any massive influx of gentrification and regional entertainment venues.  I suppose I am also biased in that I feel a true success story for downtown is one in which downtown does serve locals and visitors alike, not just visitors and in-migrants checking out the FIA or working in a high-rise.  

Autoworld has proven that 'if you build it, they will come' theory does not always apply.  It has also shown how a lack of proper planning can lead to a waste of resouces geared toward non-residents.  Frankly speaking, this whole forum appears geared toward development pertaining to visitors, future employees, and in-migrants.  I cannot help but question how lucrative such development will be for the rest of Flint.  Doubtless it will help, but who is really being served by a $5 million check for a parking deck?

hmmmm...this post reads more like a rant.   Pardon me please.  I am in an unusually cynical mood.  I will return later with more postive and contructive thoughts.

[dnast]

This is the perfect place to rant

I completely agree with the small steps and serving the local population, however I don't feel that any of downtown's current plans are very big at all.

The entertainment complex will house 4 service businesses, a medium business (~100 employees), and a handful of residents. It's only 4 stories, and 3 storefronts long. While it's sizable for downtown Flint, this project would barely be on the radar (relatively speaking) even in other similarly-sized cities - and it's the biggest thing coming downtown, except for maybe student housing.

Also, at first look it doesn't seem like this and other downtown projects will help current residents, but as long as everything isn't way overpriced and exclusive, most residents can and should enjoy having a functional downtown. Just the idea of doing a little window shopping, dining, and going to an entertainment venue without taking a long drive outside of the city - and hopping in and out of the car - would be attractive and useful in many people's eyes. It'll take a long time before this becomes reality, but I feel it would definitely be a resource that residents would appreciate.

At the same time, I don't feel that all of the city's efforts should just be put into downtown. They will have to find a balance between downtown and outer-neighborhood funding. Having a nice downtown isn't so great when the rest of the city is falling apart.

[Zettelman]

I feel compelled to add that I do find the downtown projects to benefit the whole city.  If symbolicly, the city needs a boost, and entertainment venues can bring that needed image.  Perhaps with some positive specutlation, the benefits of living, working, and playing in the city can be realized by other market forces.  To me, image appears to be the biggest obstacle in reviving the city.  Does this make sense?

[Pachuco]

I hope with all of these porjects the alleys are restored and revitalized and the buildings facaded facing the alleys are worked on too.

[tropolis]

I would like to see The city of Flint create an temporary department for cleaning up the flint River. Like an entire administration hiring many unemployed people to clean up the river. It helps out the river's appearance and creates jobs. Of course, when the river is clean, most of the workers will be out of work, but they can keep about a fourth of them for maintaining the river.

[dnast]

^ I agree. There are plenty of unemployed people in and around Flint that are more than willing to work for their money. There will also need to be fixes in the sewer systems in Genesee County so they stop having spills into the river during very heavy rain or else the cleaning up won't last long.


Pachuco:

I was looking around on the Internet the other day and saw that there was a grant awarded (page 3) to develop a plan to beautify Brush and Buckham and make them more usable. The grant was awarded in 2003; I wonder what they came up with.

[Lmichigan]

Keeping a river clean can be a very costly matter.  Here in Lansing we've been separating our sewers for years now so spills don't happen during heavy rains.  It's a tedious job because some of our sewers (and I'm sure this is especially true of Flint) date back to the late 1800's at times.  It tears up tons of streets for months and months at a time.  The whole plan is a 30 year plan.

In fact, the sewer separation project is going to go on for many more years before it's all done, because it has to be tackeld in phases.  

To read about it, read this article:

http://www.win-water...502article.html

[dnast]

Yeah, Flint has some very old sewers and water mains. They've been slowly getting repaired but likely have a long way to go.

The thing with keeping the river clean is that it's not just Flint that's spilling sewage into it. The suburbs share the blame, as well. It would take a county-wide effort, at the very least, to make progress on getting the river cleaned.

I guess one positive thing about the situation is that getting the river cleaned would directly benefit all the municipalities that it runs through. It shouldn't be as hard to get all parties to cooperate as it would usually be.

Edited by dnast, 28 April 2005 - 06:13 PM.

[VeeFan]

Part of the reconstruction of Pierson Road has been to rebuild the water and sewer systems.  

[dnast]

I feel bad for the people that live on that street. It'll be a long time before they're done with that street.

And to get back on topic - I don't know if I already said this, but I'd like to see something done with Windmill Place or at least that site that it sits on. There are a couple of businesses on the strip that's attached, but it seems like a good location for something. Other than the church, that intersection of Saginaw and Fifth Ave. is very underused.

[Pachuco]

Is the old Flint Journal still in operation ? If not I would like to see it converted into lofts or a mixed used project.

[dnast]

Yes, the old Flint Journal building is still in use. They kept all of the offices in the building. The new building holds the new press and serves as the Journal's distrubution center.

But on that note, I'd like to see more of Harrison St. developed. I don't think the parking lots behind the Genesee Towers get much use. I'd like to see a 3-5 story building or two built there. If necessary, they could include a couple floors of parking or something.

I'd also like to see work start on the MTA terminal renovation. They made an announcement sometime last year, and I believe they already have the funds with the millage that passed last year. I hope we hear some news soon.

[Pachuco]

Hopefully the dorms for UM-Flint will add to development downtown not on S. Saginaw st.


Dnast did you notice the blue thing is also in the back of the Land Bank Center, I can't believe how much downtown looks with only one building being renovated.

[dnast]

Yeah, I was surprised to see them decorating the back of the building. I wonder if there is going to be a public entrance on that side. Sorenson-Gross is supposed to put a branch office in the back of the old Economy, as well. It'd be nice if there were more storefronts along Buckham Alley to compliment existing places like The Loft and the Torch Bar & Grill.

[VeeFan]

Now that it's spring again, I'd really like to see more places along the Flint River looking like it does along the U of M campus.  Just having this wide open grassy area where people could go to have picnics or just relax, there really aren't any great parks in Flint where people could do that.  But if it's downtown, then more people might do that and feel more safe than say a park on the north end.  

Part of the concrete wall still extends down in front of French Hall, but it's overgrown with ivy and there are all kinds of flowers growing along it.  It's just such an attractive area and it'd do wonders for downtown if there were more places like this along the river.