Grosse Pointe vs. Bloomfield Hills: best days behind them?

[mikehamilton]

I have a few thoughts as an outsider from the St. Louis area. My wife and I visited Detroit for the first time in July and were very impressed by the Grosse Pointes. We also noticed some of the drawbacks mentioned by others on this thread. A few observations/ideas:

At least two of the roads leading from I-94 to GP are in pretty good shape and don't intimidate the newby. I think they are Moross and Vernier. East English Village and Harper Woods looked clean and safe from the car--not sure about perceptions on the street. The real shockers are E. Jefferson and Kercheval--anything that can be done to partner between GPs and city of Detroit to improve them would help.

Really think that greenways and the Riverfront walk could play a positive role in integrating GPs with Detroit. Planned greenway on Kercheval could have practical and aesthetic appeal. Recommend GPs support extension of riverfront walk as far east as possible, up to GPP line. These positive developments in Detroit could benefit GP access to downtown as well as improving city between GPP and downtown.

Is there anything that can be done to control GP property taxes? Housing value for buyers looks excellent but taxes are way high--are they higher than Macomb County?

Need a decent chain motel somewhere in/near GP. Is there financing available? Does new Detroit administration and improvement in city services create an opening for developing in Detroit near GP boundaries?

Support extension of light rail starter line along Woodward--how about an east turn on Jefferson or Mack, running out to 8 or 9 Mile? Looked like fear of crime might cause hesitation about backing such an initiative but don't think most rail lines are crime carriers; instead they seem to revitalize surrounding neighborhoods and thus actually reduce crime.

Loved the unique identity of each of the 5 GPs but wonder if more services could be shared, thus reducing taxes.

As far as attracting the under 30 crowd: walkable neighborhoods and unique architecture a huge plus as is proximity to downtown Detroit. Have any of the GPs or community organizations tried hosting events specifically for this demographic? Do they know that you are there and that you want them to start businesses, live, and participate in your community?

A lot of what I read about GP vs. BH just seemed like the rehashing of stereotypes, which can be either kind of fun or corrosive. Both are basically defensive. Don't think GP [[don't know anything about BH, although Birmingham seemed nice but very different from GP when we stopped there) needs to defend itself in that sense.

Not sure what partnerships are being forged between GPs and surrounding Detroit neighborhoods and other cities [[HW and St. CS). For example, does the East English Village community organization have regular contact with its corresponding GP organization? Wondered about partnerships between civic organizations and churches--these may already be strong [[?).

As I said, we were really impressed by all the Grosse Pointes had to offer. We have one child left at home and in middle school, and the school system looked strong.