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Downside and objections to living downtown


GRDadof3

What are the downsides of living downtown currently  

92 members have voted

  1. 1. If you currently live, or are looking at living downtown, what is lacking? (Choose as many as you want)

    • Prices are too high for what you get
      37
    • Lack of retail amenities downtown
      56
    • Lack of parks or recreation downtown
      9
    • I have to own a car
      23
    • Lack of good mass transit
      40
    • Too much crime or too many vagrants
      14
    • Lack of night life
      4
    • Lack of good housing choices (I don't like what's available)
      10
    • No housing in the part of downtown I like
      3
    • Lack of people living downtown
      16
    • Worried about the investment
      11
    • I'm worried about selling my current house
      6
    • Nothing, downtown is great as is
      5
    • Other
      12
  2. 2. Are one or more of these causing you to:

    • not buy downtown
      38
    • move out of downtown
      2
    • Neither, downtown is fine as is
      6
    • I'm buying or staying downtown, but addressing these issues would be good
      34
    • Other
      13


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I know its not a nice thought, but my biggest concern is getting the bang for the buck when it comes to living DT.

The condo projects out there now just don't seem to be within my price range to justify living in them at the moment. Granted to expect such developments to cater to the 24-30 with a median income of 25-40K crowd is probably asking too much.

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As mentioned by Nitro earlier in this thread, downtown is not conducive to families with small kids.

DT and the adjacent neighborhoods are not conducive to families, for one reason. I don't want to turn this into another thread about the schools, but let's face it, most of the people with kids who choose to live elsewhere do so because of schools.

Build a waterpark, create better transit, bring in all the retail that you want, without schools, you will never see this demographic get a strong foothold in the city. Sure they are represented, but all (or a vast majority of them) struggle with where to send their kids to school. For many this struggle is simply too much.

As far as things costing too much, this area is a bargain. As Michaelskis indicates, there are plenty of places available for purchase for the $200,000 (or less) price range, adjacent to DT. That is a lot of money, but relatively speaking...within the proximity to ammenities, it is a deal.

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DT and the adjacent neighborhoods are not conducive to families, for one reason. I don't want to turn this into another thread about the schools, but let's face it, most of the people with kids who choose to live elsewhere do so because of schools.
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DT and the adjacent neighborhoods are not conducive to families, for one reason. I don't want to turn this into another thread about the schools, but let's face it, most of the people with kids who choose to live elsewhere do so because of schools.
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Well I live near downtown, but what keeps me from living downtown is the lack of housing options. I don't want to buy a condo, not to mention there are few I could afford. When I moved to the area I looked for apartments downtown and either they were full (like the Globe) or they had income restrictions that I didn't meet. So my problem seemed to be I was stuck in the middle, I make too much to live in some buildings, and I make too little to live in the others.

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I agree - schools is a whole other topic, but there are solutions for those that still want to live in the City (as I plan on doing for many years). One is that not all of the GRPS schools are duds. There are certain magnet schools that actually score very highly on the rating systems (granted, not many do, but a few do). Second, there are plenty of very good religious-based schools that are all over the City, whether it be the many Catholic schools or GR Christian Schools. I am not writing off the GRPS system for my future family, but at the same time, it is not going to stop me from living in the City, either.

Seems to be a common link between GRPS and downtown retail...need a few early pioneers to get involved, and things will improve from there.

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I used to be in the target for living DT, and still might be, so I suppose I'll weigh in. Personally, I don't really want to live in a condo or an apartment, and couldn't afford many of the condos (200+) anyways. I like having a house and never cared for living in a multi-unit building. Heritage Hill or surrounding nearby areas would have worked, and in hindsight I wish I had looked harder at getting a house in HH. Proximity to work was also a big factor. While I work DT, my wife does not, and the house we bought was somewhat centrally located between the 2 jobs. Price and job location was the biggest factor in deciding where to live. Proximity to parks and retail were afterthoughts, though my current house is very close to both.

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I live fairly close to DT, just on the outskirts of pill hill, and having lived in Chicago for most of my life, the commute to work in Grand Rapids is a breeze. I considered myself fairly normal with a half an hour commute to work in Chicago, but in Grand Rapids it is actually just a ten minute commute. I live right by a park, I feel safe, and am looking to enroll my daughter in a school within a five minute drive, the same school building attended and enjoyed by my step-son. Even though my basic necessity shopping is not done in the core of downtown, a good percentage is done fairly close by. I guess my point is that it is possible to raise a family with small kids, and have a lot of perks, very close to the CBD.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I would definitely consider living downtown in a condo, but currently have a dog and cat, both of which use my fenced back yard and doggie door for "at will" access. I would love to live with no exterior maintenance, be a short walk to everything, but I made a committment to the animals. After they are gone, I will likely relocate downtown. If someone was building affordable row houses with small fenced back yards, hmmmm.

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I would love to live downtown with my wife but as others have said before me the cost is what keeps it from happening. Maybe when I get a higher paying job or some dual income coming in we could afford it.

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  • 1 month later...

Downtown living options for the slightly disabled?

I apologize if this is off topic.

I live in a Heritage Hill condo on Fountain St.. My upstairs neighbor recently had a minor stroke. Limited to wheelchair and a walker for the forseeable future. Both he and his wife want to stay downtown somehow.

Modifying the current condo is not practical (4 separate stairways betwen parking lot and 3rd floor bedroom).

I wonder if any group members are aware of any downtown developments or re-habs that have the acessabilitry and/or room for a wheelchair inside the unit?

Already contacting the local real estate agent who specializes in homes and condos with wheelchair access, but since this group appears knowledgeable in so many areas, I thought it was worth asking..

PS Charlie is a great guy and a master gardener, so he's a valuable asset to a building or community.

John

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Downtown living options for the slightly disabled?

I apologize if this is off topic.

I live in a Heritage Hill condo on Fountain St.. My upstairs neighbor recently had a minor stroke. Limited to wheelchair and a walker for the forseeable future. Both he and his wife want to stay downtown somehow.

Modifying the current condo is not practical (4 separate stairways betwen parking lot and 3rd floor bedroom).

I wonder if any group members are aware of any downtown developments or re-habs that have the acessabilitry and/or room for a wheelchair inside the unit?

Already contacting the local real estate agent who specializes in homes and condos with wheelchair access, but since this group appears knowledgeable in so many areas, I thought it was worth asking..

PS Charlie is a great guy and a master gardener, so he's a valuable asset to a building or community.

John

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Funny that I have missed this topic til now. :) I think the biggest choice missing in the options in the poll is "concerns about school district".

I'd live downtown or in GR proper in a heartbeat if the schools were good. I lived in GR proper until my first child was in pre-school and then we headed east (not "East"). Both my wife and I would love to live downtown but we'll have to wait til we're empty nesters for that to happen.

Joe

Heritage Hill would be conducive to families right now if GRPS was healthier. It's walkable, has some low-traffic streets, nice big homes for multiple kiddies, etc.
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In regards to the wheelchair access, the larger projects in town "should" have been designed with Fair Housing guidelines, allowing wheelchair access in all kitchens, baths, bedrooms, etc. If they were not done this way, the planning approval process fell down on the job. So I would check the larger projects.

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Thanks to those of you who responded to my questons about handicap access housing in the downtown area. Since my post, I have learned the following:

1. Many of the contact people at the major DT developments claim they have handicap access in their units, but can't even define what they mean by the term.

2. The Fitzgerald and Hillmount contacts were both very helpful and had condo options for my friend.

3. Kevin Moore is a real estate broker in Hudsonville who has a great deal of knowledge on what's available in the metro area. He's getting me a list.

John

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Thanks to those of you who responded to my questons about handicap access housing in the downtown area. Since my post, I have learned the following:

1. Many of the contact people at the major DT developments claim they have handicap access in their units, but can't even define what they mean by the term.

2. The Fitzgerald and Hillmount contacts were both very helpful and had condo options for my friend.

3. Kevin Moore is a real estate broker in Hudsonville who has a great deal of knowledge on what's available in the metro area. He's getting me a list.

John

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As our recent discussion has involved the Grand Rapids Public School System, I thought this updoming lunch meeting for the Grand Rapids Young Proffesionals (GRYP- www.gryp.org) may be of interest. I have another lunch meeting this day, but would be interested in hearing how it was if anyone decides to go!

GRYP Lunch Roundtable - Featuring Dr. Bernard Taylor (June 13)

Come join us for our June Lunch Rountable at Louis Benton featuring GRPS Superintendent Dr. Bernard Taylor. Dr. Taylor will be a speaking about the direction of the Grand Rapids Public School System, and how this will effect area professionals. Dr. Taylor's presentation will be followed by an open roundtable discussion to end the event.

Event cost is $10 per person and includes a buffet style lunch. Checks must be payable to the Grand Rapids Young Professionals. Please register below, as space is limited!

For all event details and registration, click HERE! http://events.grnow.com/events/index.php?c...l&eID=41351

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My wife and I moved into Union Square several months ago and couldn't be happier with our choice. There were many affordable condos, with some starting as low as 100,000 (granted these were small, approximately 650 sq feet, but you could get a 1,000 sq foot unit for under $200,000). There are also several tax breaks, which gave us approximately $50,000 more in spending power than if we were to purchase a house (this amount depends on your income level obviously). So given the starting prices and the tax breaks, I'd say they were very affordable. Not to mention they couldn't be further from cookie cutter as every single unit is unique. I also love being close to work and everything else downtown. I love to eat, but try to stay away from the chains as much as possible and downtown has the most unique dining options of anywhere else in the city. I agree that the retail has a long way to go, but 3 or 4 years ago, who would have thought there would be all these condos going up either? The question used to be, how can we get retail downtown with no one living there and how can we get anyone to live downtown with no retail there. Well, now we're building the critical mass of residents, so hopefully more retail will follow. But, one of the best parts of living in a condo downtown is when some of my friends are slaving away at yard work or other house projects, I can golf, go to the pool, or do whatever.

Before we moved into Union Square I lived in Eastown and then Heritage Hill. I love both those neighborhoods so if you're not ready for a downtown condo, those are great options for city living.

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  • 2 weeks later...

i didnt vote above because i love living downtown.

however, i HATE my cellphone reception. i have cingular and have NEVER dropped a call until i moved to Cherry Hill. now it drops 5+ times during one call. how annoying.

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  • 9 months later...

It would appear that the Cingular/AT&T coverage issue in Cherry Hill (a major hassle for me in 2005) and Midtown (2006) has been solved. I don't know where they added an antenna, but that seems to have happened.

Tony, at the Rynerson library you're in a pit of buildings whose ancient bricks serve to block the T-Mobile signal. Try stepping outside, or moving to the openness of the library parking lot.

HTH

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