Pictorial History 2009/2012 Detroit Downtrun Houses

**313WX** · April-12-13, 09:24 AM

$150 Million Dollars is nothing over a span of 50 years for a city as huge as Detroit. The city gets twice as much in yearly property taxes revenue right now [[and we can see how far that's going).

And the folks who claim the neighborhoods are actually being given any attention clearly don't live in the neighborhoods everyday.

**TexasT** · April-12-13, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

$150 Million Dollars is nothing over a span of 50 years for a city as huge as Detroit. The city gets twice as much in yearly property taxes revenue right now [[and we can see how far that's going).

And the folks who claim the neighborhoods are actually being given any attention clearly don't live in the neighborhoods everyday.

I live in the neighborhoods everyday.

And it's $150M over 5 years. And while the CITY gets more from property taxes, this is money directly set aside for the neighborhoods.

**Honky Tonk** · April-12-13, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by TexasT

I live in the neighborhoods everyday.

And it's $150M over 5 years. And while the CITY gets more from property taxes, this is money directly set aside for the neighborhoods.

Or so they claim. As far as "getting more from property taxes", that's why we currently have an EFM, because we're not.

**TexasT** · April-12-13, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Or so they claim. As far as "getting more from property taxes", that's why we currently have an EFM, because we're not.

Does the Kresge Foundation not have a good track record in terms of actually sending the money it pledges? Where does the "so they claim" come from?

**poobert** · April-12-13, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by TexasT

Does the Kresge Foundation not have a good track record in terms of actually sending the money it pledges? Where does the "so they claim" come from?

I can think of few organizations with a better track record in terms of sending money. What nonsense.

My block has remained virtually the same, some improvement, some disrepair.

However this is very telling. The first set was already after the foreclosure crisis and things have gotten better, if slowly, nationally and in the state since then. Yet Detroit continues to spiral downwards, in its own personal hell.

Generally speaking, BSEE doesn't bother to board up open houses anymore, and the police don't respond to crime on a vacant property. So of course vacant structures are a tremendous liability, and, inexplicably, a low priority.

While there is the effort to stabilize the neighborhoods as of late, I don't think anyone can argue the city has done anything remotely close to an adequate job for the past few years.

**TexasT** · April-12-13, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

While there is the effort to stabilize the neighborhoods as of late, I don't think anyone can argue the city has done anything remotely close to an adequate job for the past few years.

I would agree there - my point was that while greater downtown is NOW starting to get a lot of attention, the neighborhoods are also getting attention as well; it's just less celebrated in the media.

What efforts has the city done for downtown and midtown? I know Sue Mosey and Midtown Detroit Inc have been working on Midtown and the Downtown Detroit Partnership and Gilbert have been working on Downtown. But what does the City of Detroit do for those areas that they do not do elsewhere?

**Honky Tonk** · April-12-13, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by TexasT

I would agree there - my point was that while greater downtown is NOW starting to get a lot of attention, the neighborhoods are also getting attention as well; it's just less celebrated in the media.

What efforts has the city done for downtown and midtown? I know Sue Mosey and Midtown Detroit Inc have been working on Midtown and the Downtown Detroit Partnership and Gilbert have been working on Downtown. But what does the City of Detroit do for those areas that they do not do elsewhere?

Well, they do send boatloads of cops to ball games and hockey games to make sure everyone there has a good time.

**mwilbert** · April-12-13, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by TexasT

I would agree there - my point was that while greater downtown is NOW starting to get a lot of attention, the neighborhoods are also getting attention as well; it's just less celebrated in the media.

What efforts has the city done for downtown and midtown? I know Sue Mosey and Midtown Detroit Inc have been working on Midtown and the Downtown Detroit Partnership and Gilbert have been working on Downtown. But what does the City of Detroit do for those areas that they do not do elsewhere?

I think the main difference between what Detroit does in greater downtown and what it does elsewhere is a much larger volume of tax preferences, which in turns attracts more non-profit and private investment. In my view, that is the correct policy, but many people think that it amounts to disinvestment in the neighborhoods. There is also appears to be more police presence per resident downtown.

**Honky Tonk** · April-12-13, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by TexasT

Does the Kresge Foundation not have a good track record in terms of actually sending the money it pledges? Where does the "so they claim" come from?

Is Kresge himself going to fix up houses, or are they handing money over to third and forth parties to follow through? I don't like getting on the bandwagon until there are some results. And so far the only results I've seen are promises.

**downtownguy** · April-13-13, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Is Kresge himself going to fix up houses, or are they handing money over to third and forth parties to follow through? I don't like getting on the bandwagon until there are some results. And so far the only results I've seen are promises.

The Kresge Foundation is one of the most diligent foundations for follow-through. They don't grant money unless they are quite confident it will be used properly. And, they don't go away once they write the check. They are sticklers for accountability.

**Eber Brock Ward** · April-12-13, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

$150 Million Dollars is nothing over a span of 50 years for a city as huge as Detroit. The city gets twice as much in yearly property taxes revenue right now [[and we can see how far that's going).

And the folks who claim the neighborhoods are actually being given any attention clearly don't live in the neighborhoods everyday.

"Clearly" I do not live in my neighborhood everyday or hear gunshots or know people robbed or mugged all of the time. I just imagine that stuff. Thank God you cleared that up for me. Thank you, too, actually, for waking me up from that dream.

Seriously, though, where did you get the "50 years" number from? This says, and I quote, "$150 million over five years in continued and additional grants."

http://www.freep.com/article/2013011...reener-Detroit