New Brewster Wheeler plan would bring 200-plus apartments to site

[royce]

Well, the thread is about a developer trying to bring in affordable housing to this part of Brush Park. My question is, "Why? Is this really the area to put transitional housing for former foster care individuals? And the 80% rule for affordability, isn't that just continuing what you used to exist on the Brewster-Douglass projects' site and what you have over at the Brewster Homes? I thought the idea for Brewster-Douglass was to bring in more market-rate housing?

I must admit that I am not a fan of these "affordable housing percentages/set-asides." It appears that every new residential development in Detroit has to have this criteria. Now, I think it's fine if an established area that is considered low-income or working class uses the affordability criteria to slow down gentrification, but Brush Park is not Harlem, New York. There is no area in Brush Park where one can say that gentrification is pushing out low-income residents. Any new residential development won't affect such places as the Brewster Homes or the Paradise Valley Senior Citizens complex.

Again, there's no gentrification going on in Brush Park, but for some reason, there are those who think that an up and coming area has to make room for those who normally wouldn't be able to afford living there. Is it a bad thing to have "well-off" neighborhoods in Detroit? Is there something wrong with an area being desirable but expensive to live in?

For me, this issue of setting aside a certain percentage of residences in a development for "affordable" has some negative consequences. Firstly, it says to those who can't afford to live there that it doesn't matter if you didn't work hard in school to get a degree or work hard in a profession and acquire some "mad" skills or experience, you can still live in an area where others have done so.

Secondly, if you got in due to affordable housing percentages or set-asides, can you partake in the amenities of the environment and spend money at the stores, shops, and restaurants that cater to those who have money. Wouldn't that make some one feel out of place or even resentful? I know that those who could get into an up and coming neighborhood would enjoy living in a safer environment, but would that be the only amenity that they could enjoy?

My last thoughts are these. A final question is this, "Does Detroit really want to become a "world class" city? In every world class city there are areas that you can afford to live in and there are areas that you can't. If you want to live in those "desirable" areas, then doesn't it take some motivation and effort on you part to do the things that are necessary that are going to get you there on your own? Or do you expect to just sit back and say, "The city is going to make it happen for me so that I can live where ever I want. I don't have to make a lot of effort." The latter attitude is what concerns me when you throw in the affordable housing percentages/set-asides.