New Apartment Complex at Lake Michigan & Lexington

[Mark Miller]

The marketplace always rules in the end and that isn't a bad thing.

I heard yesterday that enrollment at the new GR school buildings was up significantly compared to the other buildings. The market perceives the new buildings as being better than paint and patch on an old building. Schools and crime are the biggest reasons families avoid the city. If a new school building enhances the image (marketability) of the GRPS's then bring on the new buildings.

BTW, I also heard that Kalamazoo gained 700 students as the result of the free college money while Detroit lost 20,000 kids.

Regarding the townhouse development, I think the church converted to condos with the apartment building enhance the plan and would make the whole development more attractive (marketable). In that case the removal of the church is a compromise and the project suffers as a result. For me historical preservation wasn't the point.

I guess we are all entitled to our opinions.

Regarding the townhouse GRPS development, I think the church converted to condos with the apartment building historical school enhances the plan and would make the whole development more attractive (marketable). In that case the removal of the church historical school is a compromise and the project suffers as a result. For me historical preservation wasn't the point.

I am not trying to shift this thread into a discussion of school enrollment and how these new buildings are drawing people into the city (or back into the GRPS). All of that has been well documented and I think that it is great. My point is that tearing down the school buildings (which were allegedly obsolete) is NO different that tearing down the church (which also is allegedly obsolete). The biggest difference is that the church is privately owned and the school is not and since I AM a resident of the city I have qualms about that.

There is absolutely no reason that the school buildings could not have been rehabilitated and made into a quality schools both inside and out. If they would have been utilized, the interiors could have been completely redone to accomplish the same overall effect that the new schools have, and in my opinion they would not have been equal to the suburban schools, but would have been immeasurably better, simply because they are built better, they look better and are more sensitive to the neighborhoods in which they are located.