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GR Planners Block Habitat Condos


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From today's Press:

GR planners block Habitat condos

GRAND RAPIDS -- Faced with neighbors who argued low-income housing would lower property values, City planners slammed the front door Thursday on a condominium proposal by Habitat for Humanity in Kent County.

The Planning Commission voted 5-1 to reject rezoning for a 25-unit condominium project. Commissioners put extra teeth in their decision by basing their denial on a technical issue that does not allow an appeal to the City Commission. They ruled the project does not meet the 10-acre minimum for a "planned unit development," a threshold issue that cannot be appealed.

Habitat had hoped to build 25 units for low-income families on a four-acre parcel at the end of Dawes Avenue SE near 28th Street and Kalamazoo Avenue SE.

But neighbors who lived on Dawes and Shangrai-la Drive SE said their streets were too narrow and too peaceful for a project expected to generate 250 car trips a day. Some also objected to low-income residents moving into their subdivision

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But neighbors who lived on Dawes and Shangrai-la Drive SE said their streets were too narrow and too peaceful for a project expected to generate 250 car trips a day. Some also objected to low-income residents moving into their subdivision

BOOOO! <_<

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After all its Shangrai-la...(bullspit) Dave, I know this side of the community very well, you're hitting all the right spots.

I'm sick of hearing of this "well they're just really concerned about the nature of traffic and value to their home." Give me a break.

What and their street is how far from a major Metro road, that is Kalamazoo! They get spill over traffic everyday, who the hell would care for 250 more cars?

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What gets me is that poor folk live on K'Zoo ave just right across the street. I know poor folk who live so close to this street its almost kind of unbelievable that I would hear this. If you go on Dawes and then go on Stilesgate this is often a mix of racial and some economic class, didn't know it went this far in classism just so close to where I know people.

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After all its Shangrai-la...(bullspit) Dave, I know this side of the community very well, you're hitting all the right spots.

I'm sick of hearing of this "well they're just really concerned about the nature of traffic and value to their home." Give me a break.

What and their street is how far from a major Metro road, that is Kalamazoo! They get spill over traffic everyday, who the hell would care for 250 more cars?

If you do the math, that's about one more car driving down the road every five minutes. And that's based on the ITE average 10 trips per day per household, which I always thought was a bit high. It's stupid. I live near a few habitat houses and as far as I know the people who live there are just fine.

If they wanna reject it because it doesn't meet the standards of the ordinance that's one thing, but to for the neighbors to complain about traffic is just absurd if you ask me.

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If you do the math, that's about one more car driving down the road every five minutes. And that's based on the ITE average 10 trips per day per household, which I always thought was a bit high. It's stupid. I live near a few habitat houses and as far as I know the people who live there are just fine.

If they wanna reject it because it doesn't meet the standards of the ordinance that's one thing, but to for the neighbors to complain about traffic is just absurd if you ask me.

I will be honest with all of you...I have never really liked the style of mones that Habitat Builds. Even though it brings a home woner to the neighborhood, I believe the style does tend to stigmatize the homeowner and the neighborhood a little bit.

In this case however, I was incredibly encouraged by the fact that Habitat was going to build a new style. As this condo development has been described...it sounds pretty cool.

Now I am like "crap...Habitat is finally moving outside their box and BAM...they still get hit with NIMBY!" It makes me personally want to find some land and help Habitat with their condo idea.

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Habitat is there to give good people who just need that one break a chance to get there life going.

Maybe Habitat needs to do more mainstream publicity around the families that have gotten the houses. I think most everyone knows what the Habitat program is, but how many middle class suburbanites, who get their news daily between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. have ever heard any of the success stories.

I can see their minds spinning: Habitat=poor=inner city=crime. They probably think someone is going to build a crack house next door to them.

You're not going to change everyone's mind, but educating the public about the people behind the progam would probably help. Maybe if one of the local TV stations spotlighted some of this from time to time on their broadcasts it would eventually start to change the mindset.

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OK, here is an idea....if one of the main impediments to Habitat homes in neighborhoods is "they look like Habitiat homes", what about UP offering free design services to Habitat? We could do this as a group design project and give them 3-4 options of homes for different kinds of neighborhoods...

Simply wondering

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OK, here is an idea....if one of the main impediments to Habitat homes in neighborhoods is "they look like Habitiat homes", what about UP offering free design services to Habitat? We could do this as a group design project and give them 3-4 options of homes for different kinds of neighborhoods...

Simply wondering

That is a good idea...however, about 5 or so years ago there was a national design contest for AE compnaies to design a Habitat Home that would be cehal and easy to build and look "cool." A group of architects from Progressive AE designed a home that was pretty awesome. It was in the running for the top award. I t may even have won.

The plans were presented to Habitat and they did refused to build it.

Habitat built a home in my church neighborhood. We have several builder in our church that are very very involved in urban revitalization. They offred to help with the project and add some architectural aspects to the home to help it fit into the neighborhood. Again Habitat said "no thank you, we will simply build our home. Oh and by the way you could give us $5,000 to help with the building of the home."

We respectfully declined.

It is these experiences that got me excited to see their planned development off 28th street and has me equally sad to see it get shot down.

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