Grosse Pointe Park Offering $350 Rent Subsidies to College Students

[corktownyuppie]

Never thought I'd see this: Grosse Pointe Park is offering subsidized housing to attract renters, while a Wayne State University student is quoted saying, ""My parents feel it's safer if I live on campus."

http://www.freep.com/article/2011063...xt|FRONTPAGE|p

[cramerro]

Yeah that quote has me puzzled. Also how nobody from GP would raise a stink about recruiting kids to inhabit entire districts of the city. I guess it's a lot better than vacant units, although I'm sure that depends on who you ask!

Seems like a fine idea to me - SMART already has a route that turns off Jefferson into the Police Dept on its way downtown and eventually on to WSU...

[Danny]

Snobbyville is helping WSU student for subsidize housing in their neighborhoods. A method to lure folks out of Detroit. They must have the money [[ lots and lots of money to do that).

[corktownyuppie]

Snobbyville is helping WSU student for subsidize housing in their neighborhoods. A method to lure folks out of Detroit. They must have the money [[ lots and lots of money to do that).

Ha. I don't think they're looking to lure folks out of Detroit. I think they're scrambling to stop the mass exodus into Birmingham and Royal Oak. Fact is, people who want to live in the city will come to the city. People who enjoy a more suburban lifestyle will likely choose that. It's very rarely the money that's going to make the difference, and let's not kid ourselves...Downtown Detroit rent is already pretty cheap. If Grosse Pointe wants to compete on "cost" vs. "quality", that's just a reflection of how desperate it's gotten.

[cramerro]

Agreed, Corktown, on many counts. Especially uplifting to think that GPP is on the platform of 'luring' away kids from the 'more expensive down[[/mid)town [[or 'urban' RO/BHam) lifestyle' to a more affordable option... desparation for GPP, but promise for a real boost to City living as a desirable choice.

I can assure you the City of GPP doesn't have any money to fool around with this, they are on the edge financially as it is - it says right in the article that it's a private fund set up to pay for this.

[Carey]

The GPP official is quoted as saying the city is losing young people to Royal Oak and Birmingham.

I wonder why? Could it be the abdundance of things in those cities that are missing in GPP: Movie theaters, bars, restaurants, street life?

The first few streets of GPP east of the Alter Road city limits look nice and contain lots of decent housing. And the area is close to downtown Detroit. But there isn't a lot to do in Grosse Pointe Park for a college student once you're done with your homework.

[Bham1982]

The GPP official is quoted as saying the city is losing young people to Royal Oak and Birmingham.

I wonder why? Could it be the abdundance of things in those cities that are missing in GPP: Movie theaters, bars, restaurants, street life?

I am one of those young people. I actually prefer GP architecture and cityscape, but the location sucks for most folks.

Inconvenient for work unless you're employed downtown, and all the shopping, restaurants, and entertainment are on the west side of the metro.

And GP will NEVER build multiplexes and the like. They had a multiplex on Mack years ago and it had some "incidents" from folks from the hood and was eventually shut down. They're too close to the ghetto to build major regional entertainment draws.

[Bham1982]

Agreed, Corktown, on many counts. Especially uplifting to think that GPP is on the platform of 'luring' away kids from the 'more expensive down[[/mid)town [[or 'urban' RO/BHam) lifestyle' to a more affordable option... desparation for GPP, but promise for a real boost to City living as a desirable choice.

They aren't trying to lure hipster types from Cass Corridor; they're trying to lure the young and affluent.

And, IMO, the relative weakness of GPP rental market shows the weakness of the urban core. If downtown Detroit were very desirable, then GPP would be very expensive, because it's basically the closest suburb.

GPP probably has more to gain from a revitalized downtown Detroit than any other suburb.

GPP has kinda plateaued/stagnated long-term because the region's economic core has shifted from downtown to Oakland County, and the locational advantage eventually became a disadvantage.

[bartock]

The kid whose folks thought it was safer if he lived on campus is from Paris.

GPP is not spending city money on this incentive program. It is a Foundation headed by Jon Cotton. The Cotton family is extremely wealthy, Jon is a multi-millionaire in his early 30s. His father owns a medical billing company, and they are one of the wealthiest families in Michigan.

It was the Cotton family that spent several hundred thousand dollars planting trees from downtown to Grosse Pointe along Jefferson. Jon was driving his usual route one day and thought that trees would look good.

I'm surprised that nobody has brought this up yet, but it seems to me that this is as much about preserving the demographic in GPP as it is to "keep people from leaving." Most of the wealthy Grosse Pointe kids do not graduate to living in GPP, so Cotton's point on that doesn't make much sense. I think the greater "fear" is with falling rental rates more Detroiters [[Section 8 Detroiters) will move in; i.e., Harper Woods.

[Downtown Lady]

I thought this might be helpful to some of you:

from the Free Press:
Grosse Pointe Park thinks it has a solution to the flood of vacancies in the city's rental districts: offer rent subsidies of up to 50% or $350 to college students.

http://www.freep.com/article/2011063...xt|FRONTPAGE|p

[stinkytofu]

For the record, the Cotton family business - Health Plan of Michigan - is located downtown in the big green E&Y building on Campus Martius.

[corktownyuppie]

They aren't trying to lure hipster types from Cass Corridor; they're trying to lure the young and affluent.

And, IMO, the relative weakness of GPP rental market shows the weakness of the urban core. If downtown Detroit were very desirable, then GPP would be very expensive, because it's basically the closest suburb.

GPP probably has more to gain from a revitalized downtown Detroit than any other suburb.

GPP has kinda plateaued/stagnated long-term because the region's economic core has shifted from downtown to Oakland County, and the locational advantage eventually became a disadvantage.

This is true. When all the jobs were downtown, GP was the perfect suburb for convenience. But the problem isn't just a shift in the economic core. It's also a shift in demographic. There just isn't anything for young people in Grosse Pointe. No real retail...no real entertainment district, etc. GP's average age is old and getting older.

I would purport that even if 5,000 more jobs showed up in downtown detroit, it would have barely any effect on GP Rental. The kinds of jobs that will be here are going to be for the young. And given a choice between Royal Oak, Downtown Detroit, and Grosse Pointe...they are starting to list GP in 3rd place.

[iheartthed]

Misguided, but I wish them well.

[Danny]

Most of the stores at the Grosse Pointe Park side of Mack and Alter Rd. is on the brink of dying. This is due to lots of middle class folks [[ Mostly Whites) who lived on Detroit's Morningside and East English Village Area had move on the suburbs since 1990 and more middle to low income blacks are quickly moving to those areas. The property values on the Detroit side is much lower and than the property values at the 5 Grosse Pointes. Will more blacks destined to take over the 5 Grosse Pointe neighborhoods? Surely they had seized more homes in Harper Woods.

[cramerro]

There's a thread on this already, although the title isn't as fitting as yours...

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...oward-Downtown

[Downtown Lady]

Thank you Cramerro! Maybe the moderators can just delete this one.

[BrushStart]

I would purport that even if 5,000 more jobs showed up in downtown detroit, it would have barely any effect on GP Rental. The kinds of jobs that will be here are going to be for the young. And given a choice between Royal Oak, Downtown Detroit, and Grosse Pointe...they are starting to list GP in 3rd place.

I'm not entirely sure about that. I live downtown now, but if Detroit Public Schools don't improve in the next 8-10 years, GPP could easily be my number 1 choice. GPP may capture a lot of yuppies and DINKS, who currently live in the city core, but will want better schools once they start having kids. GPP has the advantage of being quasi-urban, upscale, and closely tied to the city core. Royal Oak would be a DISTANT 3rd, perhaps even 4th or 5th behind Dearborn or Ferndale.

[casscorridor]

Living within walking distance of campus is the best option for young people, and there are new places opening up, like the coffee shops at the Park Shelton [[woodward/kirby) and Beethoven buildings [[3rd/prentis). There is also the yuppie Seva vegetarian restaurant, new residential development, and possibly a Whole Foods opening its doors in the area. Midtown is defiantly becoming the only area in the city to live the yuppie lifestyle. Corktown will be the second, but has longer to go.

I find that almost all students who live in the Royal Oak area have a fear of the city and of getting robbed or their car stolen. They never say "because it is more urban," or that there is more to do there. They simply want to be surrounded by a similar demographic to themselves, without fear of crime. I also find that visitors from out-of-state find it very strange that a place like Royal Oak isn't found within the city [[a yuppie area with lots of shops and restaurants), but still would prefer living in the actual city to a suburb.

But again, things are changing, and soon Midtown will a fully yuppified area, with Corktown becoming the hip/alternative area. Light-rail will speed up this process.

[Bham1982]

GPP has the advantage of being quasi-urban, upscale, and closely tied to the city core. Royal Oak would be a DISTANT 3rd, perhaps even 4th or 5th behind Dearborn or Ferndale.

IMO, Ferndale isn't very competitive for families with children. Schools are generally rather poor, and there has been significant demographic change, which may scare some folks [[district is mostly poor and African American).

Royal Oak has good schools, but not great. GP has better schools. It will be interesting to see if GP maintains its schools, given the likely demographic changes over the coming decades. GP North is already very diverse and GP South is becoming more diverse.

[Bham1982]

I find that almost all students who live in the Royal Oak area have a fear of the city and of getting robbed or their car stolen.

Or maybe they were actually robbed or their car was stolen? You know, these things happen just a bit more in Detroit than in Royal Oak.

My former car was stolen for a joyride from a Wayne State garage. A family member was held up at gunpoint not too far away. These incidents are hardly anecdotal.

[BrushStart]

IMO, Ferndale isn't very competitive for families with children. Schools are generally rather poor, and there has been significant demographic change, which may scare some folks [[district is mostly poor and African American).

Royal Oak has good schools, but not great. GP has better schools. It will be interesting to see if GP maintains its schools, given the likely demographic changes over the coming decades. GP North is already very diverse and GP South is becoming more diverse.

Demographics and diversity do not scare me; the quality of educators and curriculum does.

[bailey]

IMO, Ferndale isn't very competitive for families with children. Schools are generally rather poor, and there has been significant demographic change, which may scare some folks [[district is mostly poor and African American).

Royal Oak has good schools, but not great. GP has better schools. It will be interesting to see if GP maintains its schools, given the likely demographic changes over the coming decades. GP North is already very diverse and GP South is becoming more diverse.

Why would the level of diversity impact the quality of the school?

[bartock]

Why would the level of diversity impact the quality of the school?

Maybe it would be easier for the colorblind crowd to look at this way. What would happen to the quality of the Troy School District if a bunch of children from the underperforming Hazel Park School District or Warren Consolidated started moving to Troy? [[And, check out property values in the part of Troy that is in the Warren Consolidated school district compared to those that aren't).

The word used was DEMOGRAPHIC. The diversity referred to is SOCIO-ECONOMIC. Do schools tend to go down in performance when a lower-income SOCIO-ECONOMIC group starts moving in? YES. It isn't some barely-veiled discriminatory or bigoted statement. It is a FACT. All you need to do is look up how GP North performs versus GP South. When the freep published those numbers earlier this year, I believe GP South was above the 95th percentile and GP North was in the 70s.

[BrushStart]

Maybe it would be easier for the colorblind crowd to look at this way. What would happen to the quality of the Troy School District if a bunch of children from the underperforming Hazel Park School District or Warren Consolidated started moving to Troy? [[And, check out property values in the part of Troy that is in the Warren Consolidated school district compared to those that aren't).

The word used was DEMOGRAPHIC. The diversity referred to is SOCIO-ECONOMIC. Do schools tend to go down in performance when a lower-income SOCIO-ECONOMIC group starts moving in? YES. It isn't some barely-veiled discriminatory or bigoted statement. It is a FACT. All you need to do is look up how GP North performs versus GP South. When the freep published those numbers earlier this year, I believe GP South was above the 95th percentile and GP North was in the 70s.

True, but you're conflating the issues. Simply because the overall performance of a school goes down based on the type of people who attend it, does not mean the quality of education the school provides is lacking. If the educators are good and the curriculum is good, then a kid can get a good education, even though half of his classmates don't do their homework and study nil. DPS has systemic problems with corruption, lazy educators, and lack of funding. Grosee Pointe North, not so much. In fact, the quality of education you get at GPN vs GPS might be the same, but if GPN has more families and students that don't care about learning than GPS, then GPN's overall scores will go down, despite delivering an equivalent product. Personally, I don't give a crap how my future child's peers score on the ACT, so long as he or she is well-prepared. The fact that parents generalize certain numbers without delving any deeper indicates to me that their own education was somehow lacking.

[mwilbert]

These incidents are hardly anecdotal.

How can reporting an incident not be anecdotal? I suspect you meant that crime in Detroit, or around Wayne, isn't only anecdotal, which is certainly true. Anyway, if you read casscorridor's next sentence:

They simply want to be surrounded by a similar demographic to themselves, without fear of crime.

I don't see that as a claim that Royal Oak students fear of crime in Detroit is unfounded. I think the post was suggesting that as the area yuppifies/gentrifies, more students will want to live there, and I think that is quite likely, and in fact is probably already happening. My anecdote is that my niece [[student at WSU) wanted to move to the campus area from Ferndale, but she found the rents too high so she just signed a lease in Hamtramck instead.