Wyoming Land Use Plan 2020 - DRAFT

[Rizzo]

Why is it that when we talk about suburbs, population, and other various stuff. Greater Detroit is brought up? Suburbs are suburbs no matter where you go.

[MJLO]

Why is it that when we talk about suburbs, population, and other various stuff. Greater Detroit is brought up? Suburbs are suburbs no matter where you go.

Where else better to make a comparison, than the original surburban epicenter.

[GR8scott]

But at least I know where I can go to cash my checks or get cash advances.

haha yeah there are a lot of check n go's,

BUT it differds from the Detroit subburbs because, yes they contributed to the demise of Detroit, It was a race issue, they built walls on the borders and turning their backs to Detroit with a created separation because of the race riots and growing black population. This created white-flight happend and it lost most of its white residents. there is nowhere near the separation between the cities of GR and Wyoming, in most places you cannot tell when you cross into the other city besides a sign and a change in the pavement. This can't happen to GR, Wyoming is a lot more diverse than most of those metro D burbs especially in the areas closer to GR. AND GR is more diverse than Detroit with a significantly smaller black population than white, which would not cause much white flight.

SO yes it does seem very disorganized as a community and there is a lot to fix, why can't Wyoming look to Royal Oak for example with the same small WWII style houses?

[Rizzo]

There's great suburbs near Lansing...

[AlexPKeaton]

Can a city in Michigan actually annex part of another city? How would that even work? What's to stop Kentwood from annexing part of Grand Rapids?

-nb

[evac311]

I moved from the Wealthy/Division neighborhood into a Wyoming neighborhood last year. I can tell you that neighborhood near Wealthy/Division is a crime-ridden ghetto unfit for anyone who places value on safety. I only had been living there for two nights before I started hearing gunshots. Almost everynight, pop, pop, pop. Over 50% of the houses were homes to active drug dealers. I couldn't walk 5 steps down the street without being offered drugs. After a few more months, my roommate and his girlfriend were out in her car in front of the house. I was inside sleeping. A gang of thugs came up to her window and started jeering them, and tried to pull her out of the car. They managed to start the car, and in their rush to escape, they smashed into a basketball poll as tens of bullets hit the car. They were lucky to be alive. Myself growing up on the city's near SW side, I didn't really freak out about it. I didn't have any better options, so I stayed.

Finally I got the chance to move in with a high school friend whose grandma was moving out of her Wyoming home of 40 years near studio 28. It's one of those WWII bungalos I keep hearing about. Yeah, rent was a little higher, but I can say life in Grand Rapids' near suburb is far better.

It's safer. The neighborhood is low-income, but it's more blue-collar, hard working people.

We have a yard-in the back and the front. My other house was 5 feet off the street, no yard, and sidewalk on only one side.

There are plenty of parks and greenspace in Wyoming. Some of the best in the area!

I have tons of stores and restaraunts all within walking distance.

The streets are wider, providing onstreet parking on both sides which is good when you have people over. At my other house, people would have to park at the church, which was not safe after dark.

Traffic isn't nearly as congested as it is on GR's SE side. Case in point, my commute distance doubled, but my commute time was virtually unchanged. You have to admit, GR needs to seriously look into BRT or LRT along the Wealthy/Kalamazoo corridor. Those streets are a nightmare now, imagine what another decade of downtown growth will do. And they can't widen unless they eliminate on street parking which would be a disaster for those hoods.

We get our sidewalk plowed by the city. Like in EGR

There are tons of viable small buisness districts scattered throughout the older sections of the city. Division, Burton, 36th st for example.

Our house is up to code, is more energy efficient and has an actual basement.

There is realatively high desnity in the established areas, quite a few multi story apts, duplexes. Plus, even my "suburban" neighborhood is considered "low-medium" density.

Now, dont get me wrong, I think 28th still needs work, but it is better than it was 5 years ago, they have been in the process of adding sidewalks. I don't understand why people bash Wyoming's stretch of that road when it is arguably the most pedestrian friendly in metro GR.

I do think Wyoming would benifit from annexation by GR. I dont think its better than GR, really I see it as part of the city. Just don't bash the place, it's a great place to live, just like the rest of west michigan.

[AlexPKeaton]

Yeah, the Wealthy and Division area can be pretty bad. I previously lived in the South Hill area near Madison and Franklin which, despite being near the nicer Heritage Hill, is pretty bad as well. During my time there one roommate's car broken into twice, and another roommate's girlfriend's car stolen twice. In the rest of the neighborhood there were break-ins quite frequently, some of the houses were broken into repeatedly.

-nb

[MJLO]

I lived on the north side of the city of GR between plainfield and monroe, and never had any problems. Just as good of neighborhoods as any in Wyoming. Better than some.

[snoogit]

Can a city in Michigan actually annex part of another city? How would that even work? What's to stop Kentwood from annexing part of Grand Rapids?

-nb

any city would have to come to a mutual agreement to allow a certain part of it's city limits to be annexed. Back in the 60s when these towns were gobbling up townships right and left it was easier, since a small township could be more effective if it left all the big decisions to a city. (Like a water system, or a garbage system, or other services that a township wouldnt want to have to pay for) The townships that didnt want to be annexed by Grand Rapids became the Walkers, the Wyomings, and the Kentwoods. If these townships decided to become part of Grand Rapids instead of what they became, we would probably be talking about Rockford, Coopersville, Marne, Cutlerville, etc being the old and dirty suburbs.

[francishsu]

I've updated the original post with a link to the current zoning map for Wyoming. They recently added this to their website.

[MJLO]

any city would have to come to a mutual agreement to allow a certain part of it's city limits to be annexed. Back in the 60s when these towns were gobbling up townships right and left it was easier, since a small township could be more effective if it left all the big decisions to a city. (Like a water system, or a garbage system, or other services that a township wouldnt want to have to pay for) The townships that didnt want to be annexed by Grand Rapids became the Walkers, the Wyomings, and the Kentwoods. If these townships decided to become part of Grand Rapids instead of what they became, we would probably be talking about Rockford, Coopersville, Marne, Cutlerville, etc being the old and dirty suburbs.

The only old dirty suburb for me is Wyoming. Kentwood, and Walker seem alot more new and less urban. EGR is what it is, it's a class of its own. I think perhaps one I would consider, is Plainfield TWP, It's pretty urban in some spots. Although once you get off Plainfield Ave, It turns a little more affluent and less ghetto.

[GR8scott]

The only old dirty suburb for me is Wyoming. Kentwood, and Walker seem alot more new and less urban. EGR is what it is, it's a class of its own. I think perhaps one I would consider, is Plainfield TWP, It's pretty urban in some spots. Although once you get off Plainfield Ave, It turns a little more affluent and less ghetto.

To me, The point is Wyoming is so mixed you cant say it is "dirty", yeah there might be "dirty" areas in the north but you have farm land in the panhandel, new subdivsions in the south, older (80s) midclass quiet neighborhoods off 44th, ect.

I think of it as a big city that was thrown together and draws its influence from all of the surrounding areas not forming its own charactor.

I think there is a lot of potential to make Wyoming better but they need to be a lot more strategic about it and give it its own image

[allbusiness]

I really think the reason Wyoming seems so unconnected and disjointed is the lack of a downtown -- a focus. That seems to be the result of trying to "create" a city out of a pre-existing hodge podge of strip malls, school districts, un-connected neighborhoods and rather dirty industrial areas.

The most successful small towns and cities seem to be the ones with a real history -- usually a port or a railroad stop that dates back to the 1800s that grew naturally around a strong commercial center. Neighborhoods sprouted around this area, with industry near the water or rail lines, etc.

[grrwymg]

The only old dirty suburb for me is Wyoming. Kentwood, and Walker seem alot more new and less urban. EGR is what it is, it's a class of its own. I think perhaps one I would consider, is Plainfield TWP, It's pretty urban in some spots. Although once you get off Plainfield Ave, It turns a little more affluent and less ghetto.

DELETED.

Forget it...Don't need to go down this road.

[buzzkill]

I'm glad to see the elitists are staying away from Wyoming. I'll take the great schools, numerous parks, city services, proximity to urban amenties, safe neighborhoods and the fact that I can get far more house for my money than in the tony 'burbs.

And my kids get exposed to a more diverse population in terms of income and race instead of thinking the entire world is made up of privledged persons of European heritage.

[Rizzo]

To me there is no Wyoming, Kentwood, Walker, etc... It's all GR for me, the only things that change for me are the Cops and streetsigns.

[grrwymg]

To me there is no Wyoming, Kentwood, Walker, etc... It's all GR for me, the only things that change for me are the Cops and streetsigns.

Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way.

[baronium]

I think Wyoming has a lot to offer. Someone mentioned "Focal point" and was very correct. Wyoming is a lot of concrete (28th st), rows of similar houses, and lacks any big destination attractions. I live on the NE side and I tend to see a lot of similarities between Plainfield and Wyoming. For people living in Wyoming it is a great place to live. The city provides a lot of nice services. It is a fairly walkable community. But to those of us who don't live there, it just doesn't seem to be that spectacular.

It would be nice to see more diversity in its development.

[grcitydog]

I lived in Wyoming for a couple of years before moving to GR. I also still work there, and I do not find the city "dirty" or anything of that nature, even though I lived in a bungalow in the old northern part of the city. I moved only because I got married and my wife already had a house in GR and it was bigger. Anyway, I like Wyoming; I think the only thing I don't like is that it was almost all developed after the automobile, which puts it at a disadvantage when it comes to urban fabric. The area of GR where I live now, East Hills was mostly built around 1900, when walking, horse, or trolley was the preferred mode of transportation, and the urban fabric shows it. Wyoming, on the other hand was mostly built about 1950 or so, therefore the roads are wide, the yards bigger, and the commercial and industrial districts very separated and built to get around in an automobile. I love it in GR and wouldn't move back, but it is because of the auto-centric design and nothing else. I also wouldn't move to the more "desirable" locations either, such as Rockford, Ada, Caledonia, Hudsonville, etc., for the same auto-centric reasons and also lack of diversity.

[GRNetAdmin]

I live on the NE side and I tend to see a lot of similarities between Plainfield and Wyoming.

Like what? I live on the NE/Plainfield side too, but I don't have big factories across the street from me like you find in Wyoming. That is what bugs me about Wyoming, like someone else said- it's "gritty urban."

[francishsu]

Not sure how many people are actually interested in the details, but it might be of interest to people outside of Wyoming as it includes statistics for other parts of the region. Anyways, the city has posted the actual draft of the Land Use Plan (before it was only the map).

Main page: http://www.ci.wyoming.mi.us/plan_future.htm

Direct links to Land Use Plan 2020 DRAFT:

Part 1 - Background

Part 2a - Future Land Use Overview

Part 2b - Sub-area Details

Part 2c - Appendix

[francishsu]

Some points of interest (to me, anyways) from the draft document..

For the stretch of 28th Street designated with the Downtown Center zoning, they want to try Form Based Coding. They also mention that the financial cost has made it difficult to accomplish what they want for this key area.

The northwest corner of 28th and Division is targetted as a special mixed use area. It's a unique zoning, like the Downtown Center, Planned Health Care Districts, Division Avenue Commercial zonings. (I don't quite get why they create these one-time zoning designations).

They want some taller buildings (in the downtown center area I think).

Wants more consistency in development/redevelopment along Division.

Certain sections along Clyde Park in need of redevelopment/rezoning.

Lots of new development along Wilson Ave. south of the mall, expectations of much higher traffic.

[snoogit]

Wyoming needs a cow, a bucket, and a good ole dose of fire (evacuate the residents first of course)

[torgo]

Some points of interest (to me, anyways) from the draft document..

For the stretch of 28th Street designated with the Downtown Center zoning, they want to try Form Based Coding. They also mention that the financial cost has made it difficult to accomplish what they want for this key area.

The northwest corner of 28th and Division is targetted as a special mixed use area. It's a unique zoning, like the Downtown Center, Planned Health Care Districts, Division Avenue Commercial zonings. (I don't quite get why they create these one-time zoning designations).

They want some taller buildings (in the downtown center area I think).

Wants more consistency in development/redevelopment along Division.

Certain sections along Clyde Park in need of redevelopment/rezoning.

Lots of new development along Wilson Ave. south of the mall, expectations of much higher traffic.

Maybe they are teeing up their Master Plan for a comprehensive zoning ordinance re-write to form-based zoning? I think unique designations are fairly common in form-based zoning.

[Veloise]

Thinking about this thread last night while driving (yeah, sometimes) past the subject jurisdiction...

A clever entrepreneur really needs to establish some sort of business there called either "Jackson Hole" or "Grand Teton."

[it had better not be Mark London]