Harbor Island

[liam foote]

Hi,
Moving to Detroit in a few months, probably to the Grosse Pointe Park area. Seeking info on Harbor Island and vicinity, including Klenk St., and the canals and parks in that neighborhood just south of Alter. May look for a slip rental for a small boat or even a home for sale, if available. From what I've read, it seems that this is not one of the up and coming zones within the Jefferson-Chalmers corridor. Any input and guidance would be appreciated.
Cheers and best regards,
Liam

[sumas]

Advice: rent a place in GPP and shop around. Eastside detroit is a street by street situation. Several islands, canals, plenty of marinas. Prices vary greatly.

Contact Creekside community develpoment for more info.

We now live in Islandview and love it. Check crime stats with police. Other then that I can't help you. Detroit isn't for everyone. We love it but many don't.

[Pam]

Here's a thread on this from last year:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...=harbor+island

[warsaw7]

I am in the same boat, no pun intended. Every bid I have put in on a house in East English Village has been out bid by a cash offer. I am beginning to think this neighborhood is almost untouchable, unless you want to live next to Warren Avenue. With that being said I was driving down Lakewood Street and I was very impressed with a lot of the houses, but like most potential homeowners, I put safety first. A friend of mine who works with the city says crime is relatively low in that neck of the woods [[closer to Harbor Island as opposed to Jefferson), however my realtor says steer clear of that neighborhood. Any advice or stories?

[liam foote]

Hi, warsaw,
Thanks for the response and info. Yes, we are indeed in the same boat. I've also looked at East English Village and now have shifted to Jefferson-Chalmers to check things out. My realtor also says to stay in Grosse Pointe but I'm fairy adventurous. This is all on-line research thus far, but plan to visit in mid-June and one of my stops will be to see friends on Lakewood, so they should be willing to provide local advice. Cheers.
Liam

[liam foote]

Thanks for the thread, Pam. Interesting old photos. Very good assessments and pertinent advice to get out and do some visits and see how the area would meet individual expectations. Cheers.

[cla1945]

Some interesting reading from an article a couple of years ago regarding Lakewood Street.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...RO01/310040001

[EastsideAl]

My aunt lived on Lakewood for several years, until the state transferred her up north in the late '80s. I always loved her beautiful house and the other houses on that street I visited as a kid.

My cousin lived further down the street towards the park until a couple of years ago, and still owns the house down there [[his work transferred him to NYC). The previous owner had stripped out much of the detail in a misguided "renovation" many years ago [[which also, not coincidentally, allowed him to sell the "salvage" as "architectural antiques"), but my cousin has been slowly restoring the house for the past several years.

My family has very close friends who've lived in one of the small cottage-like houses on Harbor Island for decades now. Despite the fact that they're not 'boat people' [[like most of their neighbors) they love it there, wouldn't live anywhere else, and have never had any crime problems of any sort. My grandfather kept his boat nearby on Scripps for many years, and on Klenk Island during the prohibition years [[better to make the quick runs out behind Peche Island).

Lakewood was built to be the "luxury" street in that neighborhood, and my dad remembers looking with envy on the classy people who lived there when he was growing up around the corner in an apartment on Charlevoix. In the late '50s when he and my mother had scraped together enough money to try to buy a nice house the first place he looked was on lower Lakewood and Harbor Island, but the houses there were still too expensive for them so they ended up buying in Indian Village, which was then, believe it or not, cheaper!

[liam foote]

Thanks to cla1945 and EastsideAl for interesting and informative responses. It's heartening to hear of retired folks taking it upon themselves to sometimes patrol the streets or cut the grass on vacant lots. Shows how much people love and honor their old neighborhoods. Cheers.