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roll call Flint


MJLO

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Hey my mid-Michigan brethren, There has been a serious lack of activity over this way lately. I know there are alot of people in here from the Mid-MI part of the state, so don't be shy stand up and tell us who you are!

My name is`Matt, I am not a Flint forumer per-say. But none the less I am a big fan of Flint and the Flint area. I have friends from Flint on up to Midland, so i've spent time exploring all the cities over that way. Not to mention that all of my parents hail from the Flint area. All of my grandparents still live there. I spent some time during childhood there. But where did all of you guys go! So stand up and start talking. Let's breathe a little life back into these parts.

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I always take I-475 because I enjoy passing through Flint. Every so once and awhile I exit downtown to get some development photos which are still on my camera. I happen to know some of the specific reasons why the Flint forum is dead....but we do need more Flint forumers. So if you are from the Flint area and just lurking, join in for the discussion!

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I like gong through Flint, too. thats why i tend to take Court Street/5th street home when i have to go to Flint, its much more interseting than taking I-69. I wish "those specific reasons"(which i am aware of) would be resolved so the awesome disscussion that we used to have in the Flint forum could continue.

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I'm from Grand Blanc originally. I credit my 17 years in Grand Blanc for fueling my hatred for sprawling development, as well as my love for gritty, urban cities. I left the Flint area for architecture school in Southfield, and have since moved to Detroit.

I try to stay on top of the downtown Flint developments. Even though I have no desire to return to the Flint area, I'd like to see the downtown renaissance succeed.

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I live in Mt. Morris, just north of Flint, until I was 14. So I guess I don't know if I really grew up there or not. It seems like I was too young to really give a rip about what was happening. Since then, however, I like to try to keep up with what's going on since all of my family, excluding Parents and Brothers, live there. Seeing as how this is one of my favorite and most useful places to get info on Flint, I hope that whatever issues are keeping things getting posted don't last. (I do not know about them)

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And I'm still looking for a spot up on a hill where I will be capable of viewing the entire Flint skyline without being obstructed by trees. In some places it's almost possible, but a few things get in the way. I made 5 attempts on seperate days before finally giving up.

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And I'm still looking for a spot up on a hill where I will be capable of viewing the entire Flint skyline without being obstructed by trees. In some places it's almost possible, but a few things get in the way. I made 5 attempts on seperate days before finally giving up.

I can't find any good spots either. I'm guessing there aren't any unless you get on a rooftop or something.

You can find Bob on the UrbanFlint forum, although things are going pretty slow there, too. I haven't been in the picture-taking mood lately, but it looks like First Street Lofts will be wrapping up soon. Maybe I'll try to get out and snap some photos.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm from Detroit. That's South Flint, right? Close enough. :D I love Flint too. I like the name.

The most exposure to Flint that I had prior to my collegiate years of urban exploration (not to be confused with the level of exploration ye others exude) is taking flight from Bishop International Airport. That was the nearest airport with a direct flight to Florida, about 4 hours from my home town. :(

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  • 3 weeks later...

I was born in Flint and have lived here my entire life. I love this community and I really want to see it thrive. I am currently finishing up my master's degree in Social Science at the University of Michigan in Flint. For those of you who don't know, it is a great university right in the heart of the city. I also earned my undergraduate degree from UMF in Political Science.

The emigration of people from the city of Flint to the suburbs (or out of state) has left Flint in a precarious position. Our dwindling tax base coupled with our inept leadership in City Hall has left the city vulnerable. We have the infrastructure to sustain a much greater population--though much of it has been left in disrepair. Our roads are a mess, but we certainly don't have problems with traffic like many cities--one of the only positive effects of a decreasing population.

Those of us who really love Flint, and cities generally, need to start doing the little things. I believe we should go out of our way to patronize the businesses that remain in the city, especially downtown. UMF getting housing in Downtown Flint would be a good start, but more needs to be done.

I think there is still this perception, one that is widespread in Genesee County, that Downtown Flint is unsafe. This needs to change. Downtown Flint isn't unsafe, though it is sparsely populated at night. (It's safe unless you get hit by falling debris from the Genesee Towers building, that is.) Additionally, I think Downtown Flint is actually quite nice. For those of you who haven't been down South Saginaw Street lately, come have a look. You will be pleasantly surprised by some of the work that is going on down there.

Many of you are far more knowledgeable than I, so I want to ask a few questions:

--Are there any real plans to demolish the Genesee Towers building? Is it worth keeping, from the perspective of the owner, simply to maintain those cell towers?

--Who thought it would be a good idea to put a parking lot right in the center of downtown? You know, the one that sits between First Street and Kearsley Street. What a nightmare!

--What is the consensus on this board about the old debate regarding the affects of casino gambling in Flint?

--How much private or public money would it take to redevelop the brownfields west of Downtown Flint and east of Kettering?

Thanks guys...I had no idea Flint had its own board.

Jared

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I was born in Flint and have lived here my entire life. I love this community and I really want to see it thrive. I am currently finishing up my master's degree in Social Science at the University of Michigan in Flint. For those of you who don't know, it is a great university right in the heart of the city. I also earned my undergraduate degree from UMF in Political Science.
Another PoliSci major! :D I'm a Junior at U of M right now, and newly elected President of Pi Sigma Alpha in fact. Were you ever in PSA?

Actually, for PSA we want to try to build a relationship between the university and the Salem Housing Project to see what could be done about student housing. Some of the homes that Salem buys are still in really great shape, beautiful homes as well, and just need fresh coats of paint and a little bit of maintenance work. But they are perfect for students, especially since the area that Salem operates in is so close to downtown. We want to try to set the work for a student neighborhood being developed; get enough students to want to use these homes and maybe there could be university patrols going through the area at night, just in case there are still safety concerns.

How much private or public money would it take to redevelop the brownfields west of Downtown Flint and east of Kettering?

In regards to this, I don't know what the status is right now, but there was talk a while back of Kettering having bought the land and was going to use it for R&D for more efficient fuel cells. But it's been months now since I've heard anything about it, so I'm not certain.

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Welcome, Jared!

--Are there any real plans to demolish the Genesee Towers building? Is it worth keeping, from the perspective of the owner, simply to maintain those cell towers?

No. The owner gets a large check each month from all the companies that have communications equipment mounted on the roof. The building itself is in structurally good condition, it just needs to have its facade fixed (and it's really ugly, but we won't go there). There really is no reason to demolish at this point.

--Who thought it would be a good idea to put a parking lot right in the center of downtown? You know, the one that sits between First Street and Kearsley Street. What a nightmare!

That was the site of the former Kresge's store, which was demolished in the name of urban renewal. The master plan shows the lot remade as a park, but I still think that they need to build some buildings there to provide a sense of enclosure. We've already got Riverbank park, and we see how well that has been maintained over the years....

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And I'm still looking for a spot up on a hill where I will be capable of viewing the entire Flint skyline without being obstructed by trees. In some places it's almost possible, but a few things get in the way. I made 5 attempts on seperate days before finally giving up.

Hey all, I recently found this site/board/thread and have spent HOURS reading and catching up, instead of doing real work. Very interesting to read about some of the (re)developments that have been completed, or well into construction and the ones that were never heard about again, and the speculation of the Druant over the years.

I'm not sure there is one good vantage point looking at downtown. I would like to know the spots you did find though. I do recall going to Genesee Towers about 20 years ago for some meeting. The whole time I was there, I was staring out the window at the view. Simply amazing!!! You can really tell downtown is in a bowl.

Its amazing how the topography suddenly drops, in the strangest places. If you go down Tobias (I think it is) between Saginaw and Grand Traverse, look in the back yards of the houses on the north side. They hardly have a back yard because the land drops probably 50' down to a "creek". I haven't looked it up on a map, but there is a neighborhood down there too backing up to the creek.

Where 12th St. ends at Lapeer Rd is another interesting drop. There is a creek/drain that runs through there also, prolly the same one by Tobias St. If you take the number streets (7th, 8th, etc) off of Lapeer, then hang a right, I think its Avon St you'll end up below I-69, literally. The architecture in that neighborhood is pretty interesting also, it looks like the left over material from Mott Park was used along with the material from Civic Park and a few HUD style homes peppered throughout. The houses just don't match.

Does anyone know where Oak Grove Assylum used to be? I've asked a few "mature" residents about it, and everyone has an idea, but none of them are the same. My best guess is I-69 took it out. I don't know why, maybe I was a resident in a former life, but I have this fascination with it.

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