Brush Park: Why Has Work Stalled?

[Russix]

It's hard to be an attractive neighborhood when there are safer and less expensive options close by. This area needed to be saved in its entirety. Not just bits and pieces. The massive parking expansive on the west side of Woodward and the lack of local commercial activity doesn’t necessarily say “neighborhood”.

[royce]

It's hard to be an attractive neighborhood when there are safer and less expensive options close by. This area needed to be saved in its entirety. Not just bits and pieces. The massive parking expansive on the west side of Woodward and the lack of local commercial activity doesn’t necessarily say “neighborhood�.

How unsafe can Brush Park be if there aren't many people living there? Clearly leaving your car on the street like during a Tiger game is inviting a car break in. However, if you have a garage and a good security system on your home, I don't see you necessarily becoming a target for home break-ins. There are people that actually have been living in Brush Park for years and they're still there. They wouldn't still be there if crime was that bad.

I agree that the prospect of light-rail might jump start new housing development in Brush Park. Also, I agree that those large parking lots on the westside of Woodward are definitely a drawback to development. However, those property owners have no incentive to sell their land to a developer or to the city when they can make beaucoup dollars from parking during Tigers and Lions games and other big Fox Theater events.

The city needs to use the current vacant lots that in owns on the eastside of Woodward in Brush Park, and offer really cheap parking for a few years. Then maybe those parking lots on the westside of Woodward can be bought up. Eventually some parking structures will have to be built to accommodate parking for cars. In the future, if light rail gets beyond the city, maybe fans coming to the games will choose to ride the rail instead of driving all the way downtown. This will solve the parking problem.

There really is no excuse that Brush Park should look like it does. The recession is still a big issue. However, once it is over, there is no excuse for Brush Park to not become a premier housing and commericial development in the city.

[Russix]

How unsafe can Brush Park be if there aren't many people living there?
...

Safety is more of a perception than a reality. I would even argue that the crime rate is lower in Brush Park than around WSU or Woodbridge. The emptiness is not perceived as a safety improvement, it makes it look vastly more dangerous. Like something that tells your instincts that you shouldn’t be here. Considering what the place use to be like in the 90’s, I’m not surprised anyone gets a bad feeling walking though there after dark.

[Zacha341]

Or even "driving" thru there at night is an adventure..... doors locked of course.

Safety is more of a perception than a reality. I would even argue that the crime rate is lower in Brush Park than around WSU or Woodbridge. The emptiness is not perceived as a safety improvement, it makes it look vastly more dangerous. Like something that tells your instincts that you shouldn’t be here. Considering what the place use to be like in the 90’s, I’m not surprised anyone gets a bad feeling walking though there after dark.

[PQZ]

I'd say this thread is a prime candidate for "Spot The Cockpuncher", but really....it's just another example of DumfuckistanYes.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...ing-homeowners

Here are some reasons why development in Brush Park has stalled - just like development across the entire god-damn state and most of the nation has stalled and remains stalled.

In case gsgeorge has notice, there has been a complete collapse in the US housing market and the neighborhoods thas were the most tenuous are the one most hard hit.

Michigan's average home prices have declined about 30 percent since early 2008, Townley said.

Townley said about 177,000 Michigan households are at least one month behind in their mortgage payments, meaning they face possible foreclosure.

"We're sure grateful that the Obama administration continues to recognize the many challenges facing Michigan," she said. "It is going to be very beneficial to families who are really struggling with potentially losing their homes."

[Goose]

"We're sure grateful that the Obama administration continues to recognize the many challenges facing Michigan," she said. "It is going to be very beneficial to families who are really struggling with potentially losing their homes."


recognizing the problem and actually having a plan that works are two different things... but I'm at least glad that the president has finally gotten up to speed and "recognized" there is a problem....

[Strathcona]

Or even "driving" thru there at night is an adventure..... doors locked of course.

Seriously? This is ridiculous...

[Gsgeorge]

I'd say this thread is a prime candidate for "Spot The Cockpuncher", but really....it's just another example of DumfuckistanYes.

Here are some reasons why development in Brush Park has stalled - just like development across the entire god-damn state and most of the nation has stalled and remains stalled.

In case gsgeorge has notice, there has been a complete collapse in the US housing market and the neighborhoods thas were the most tenuous are the one most hard hit.

PQZ, you are quick to play know-it-all, but if you had more than a 4-second attention span you would have noticed that I opened my thread with this sentence:

I think we all know that the economic & real estate crises have slowed development overall across the city.

[casscorridor]

In the summer I bike through there sometimes, during the day and at night, to and from Downtown. But usually down John R. It is also a good alternative to riding on Woodward, which is dangerous because of all the cars. I don't really like going on Brush. My friend got pushed off his bike by two teenagers and almost got his laptop stolen before getting away, and it is out of the way for me anyhow. I don't think this it is dangerous to bike through at all, but I wouldn't really want to walk at night unless it was that populated section next to Woodward and 75.

[bailey]

PQZ, you are quick to play know-it-all, but if you had more than a 4-second attention span you would have noticed that I opened my thread with this sentence:
I think we all know that the economic & real estate crises have slowed development overall across the city.

Well, didn't you answer your own question then?

[Gsgeorge]

Well, didn't you answer your own question then?

No. Read my first post.

The CoD made a huge push for Brush Park for a long time, since the late nineties really, making a bigger deal about it than even Midtown or New Center. Despite the recession, moderate development continues in Midtown, New Center, and even smaller areas like Corktown and Woodbridge. Development in Brush Park seemed to come to a halt right after the Superbowl, even before the housing collapse really set in. No doubt the crisis has slowed things down, but with development happening elsewhere inside the freeway loop, and Brush Park so close to the CBD, what's the deal? SOME forumers have provided some valuable insight on why work is stalled there. Others love to nitpick and try to make people look like idiots. Ah, I love Detroit.

[drjeff]

Or even "driving" thru there at night is an adventure..... doors locked of course.

Considering I've parked on John R for Tigers games probably 150 times without incident [[and no, my car was never broken into, although it was twice on Washington Blvd. in front of the Statler), this is a major exaggeration. The bogey man is not hiding in the bushes waiting for someone to come along. There are so few people in Brush Park right now that it would be pointless for robbers to hang out there waiting. The worst you'll come across is a homeless guy asking for change.

[Hermod]

SOME forumers have provided some valuable insight on why work is stalled there. Others love to nitpick and try to make people look like idiots. Ah, I love Detroit.

Gsgeorge: It isn't Detroit that is rubbing you the wrong way, it is the internet. If this was a forum for Catholic nuns, you would probably get the same snarkiness.

[rsa.313]

the market collapsed just as a lot of the new units in brush park were coming online. many developers went under as a result [[see carlton building, edmund place, harbor lights center, etc.). i have even heard rumors of a possible crosswinds bankruptcy [[anybody else hear this/can back it up?).

as a result of the status of developers and the collapse of the housing market, many units are available due to foreclosures and/or reposessions. this includes condos in the garden lofts building, the carlton, and all styles of crosswinds townhomes. some renovated and new units have never been occupied. the crystal lofts condos even switched over to rentals. ergo no demand, no further development, regardless of who wants it to happen.

however, there is currently development going on. 9 new townhomes have been completed recently at the brush park north development, 4 renovated condos just completed at the mack in brush park, with another 5 renovated condos beginiing shortly. on the commercial side, there's the re-renovation of zaccarro's and MSU recently moving into a building on woodward. arguably, brush park is seeing more development than most neighborhoods in the city.

so you may be looking for more, but the primary reason new developments aren't happening is because of the housing market collapse and economy.

[PQZ]

Despite the recession, moderate development continues in Midtown, New Center, and even smaller areas like Corktown and Woodbridge.

Aside from some small mom and pop style retailers and very small interstitial projects, what little activity is in Midtown, Corktown, New Center and Woodbridge is either is being driven by WSU or is the completion of projects 2- 4 years behind schedule. I think its quite a stretch to say that moderate development continues. I would characterize it as nominal, especially where ther is no other meaningful development happening elsewhere in the City.

Indeed, as RSA points out, there seems to be MORE development projects in Brush Park than in other neighborhoods.

And I don't have to try to make people look like idiots. They generally do a good job on their own.

[downandouterdrive]

Well, when you can now buy a place for 94K that orginally sold for 450K in 2004...you've got big problems.

http://www.moveinmichigan.com/Searchdetails.aspx?ListingTag=41F97EE1F6044512509e b60d29&UserId=

[jbd441]

Well, when you can now buy a place for 94K that orginally sold for 450K in 2004...you've got big problems.

http://www.moveinmichigan.com/Searchdetails.aspx?ListingTag=41F97EE1F6044512509e b60d29&UserId=

Not a bad deal is you have a lot of money and don't have to work or you have a good paying job to support $13k in TAXES a year. Still, paying taxes to support a corrupt city council and school system?

[Hermod]

Not a bad deal is you have a lot of money and don't have to work or you have a good paying job to support $13k in TAXES a year. Still, paying taxes to support a corrupt city council and school system?

13K in taxes for a 94K condo?

[Strathcona]

13K in taxes for a 94K condo?

It's not based on the sale price of 94k, it's based upon the $450,000 value. This value puts the SEV at around 225,000 which makes the yearly taxes about $14,000 per year.

[casscorridor]

Brush Park is extremely desolate, even by Detroit standards. The people who are willing to continue to live or relocate to Detroit are going to opt for a denser, more vibrant neighborhood with more retail and residential.
If you look at the successful neighborhoods of the City they include either completely contiguous residential or a combination of residential and commerical [[Midtown and Southwest). There is way, way too much prairie and too few occupied structures in Brush Park to make it resemble a "neighborhood". Even the most intrepid urban pioneers are going to opt for a more viable alternative. It would be a pipe dream to fill all that vacant land with infill, even in the best of times.

Even though I agree that most would look to a more vibrant neighborhood, but I think you are over-exaggerating the amount of vacant land there really is. Although yes, the is a huge amount of empty land. There aren't that many blocks in Brush Park. The entire neighborhood isn't even a square mile large. I wouldn't call it a pipedream to completely redevelop [[fill all the land) the neighborhood. This is a very small area compared to the east side prairies. The area could be filled in within a decade if the cards were all played right.

[Hermod]

It's not based on the sale price of 94k, it's based upon the $450,000 value. This value puts the SEV at around 225,000 which makes the yearly taxes about $14,000 per year.

Still, that is 6.2% of SEV a year.

I won't complain about my 1.8% city and county combined.

How can you attract new homeowners with a tax rate like that?

.

[ndavies]

Still, that is 6.2% of SEV a year.

I won't complain about my 1.8% city and county combined.

How can you attract new homeowners with a tax rate like that?

.

They can't. These properties were given NEZ property tax breaks when they were renovated. The NEZ program lowers tax rates on new and newly renovated properties in the city for 12-15 years. There should still be some time left on the NEZ. The problem with the NEZ tax break is it only masks the high tax problem, it doesn't cure it. The only way to sell new and major renovations in the city is with the NEZ.

[downandouterdrive]

The 11K tax figure is wrong in that listing. That is an NEZ property that the idiot owner never filed with the city. The taxes on that place are less than 1K per year.

[detroitsgwenivere]

I've been keeping an eye on Brush Park for the last 20 years, on foot and in the car, and it seems that the biggest enemy that part of town fights is the city government and Crosswinds Condos, not crime and vacant land. When Crosswinds decided to build their condos there, they argued that they couldn't get maximized property values with the existing homes in place. Within a few years, dozens of occupied and salvagable vacancies bit the dust. The condos are pieces of crap, which is why nobody buys them, and no one is going to buy a 750 sqft piece of crap for 200k when you can buy a 2500 sqft gem for under 100k.

[Russix]

^^^^Agreed!!! That and we now have townhomes where mid-rise buildings should be.