Flint development news

[Rizzo]

Flint has been an important case study for the rest of the midwest when dealing with vacant property.

[LMich]

Looks like this Mott Foundation grant will officially bring part of MSU's medical school to Flint:

$9 million Mott Foundation grant will deepen MSU ties to Flint

By Ron Fonger | MLive.com

February 17, 2014

FLINT, MI -- A $9 million grant will cement Michigan State University's presence in the city, doubling the number of medical students working in area hospitals, headquartering a master's degree program in public health here, and creating a public health research team to study the influence of financial and social factors on people's health.

"(This is) a way of deepening our commitment" in Flint and "starting a new journey," Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon said Monday, Feb. 17, in announcing the grant and plans for taking occupancy of the former Flint Journal building by November.

With the grant, MSU officials estimated 60-70 employees, 20-25 of them faculty members, and 100 more third- and fourth-year medical students will use the renovated building as a base of operations.

University and Charles Stewart Mott Foundation officials announced the grant, which will dramatically increase MSU's footprint in downtown Flint and simultaneously secure a landmark building.

...

The MSU Board of Trustees voted 13 months ago to pursue a 20-year lease in the building, paying an estimated $700,000 a year in rent to occupy 40,000 square feet there for office and teaching space.

MSU said in a written statement that the College of Human Medicine will occupy three levels of academic and research space.

"Levels one and two will include a lecture hall, computer lab, classrooms, a clinical skills lab, quiet study rooms and academic space for the college's Flint campus and Program in Public Health. The third floor will house the college's newly recruited public health researchers, the statement says.

Loft apartments are also planned for the building's top floor.

...

I have to admit to being a little jealous, since MSU basically treat's Lansing like their red-headed step child, especially when it comes to the College of Human Medicine, which the university has basically exported major pieces of it to Grand Rapids and Flint. They've done nothing like this, here, in terms of capital investment.

Anyway, it's great to see this project finally come to fruition. The Flint Journal Building is a beauty.

[LMich]

Hey, I'm currently reading Teardown by Gordon Young, who does Flint Expatriates. I was just poking around the website's facebook page, and came across this photo showing all that was destroyed by the I-69/I-475 interchange:


Flint Expatriates Facebook

I believe we're looking almost due east, here. Apparently, this was the old southside, which was a black enclave before it was destroyed. You don't really realize how many blocks were taken out until you see the juxtaposition. Looking at a map, it really makes you wish they'd have aligned 475 along Dort or something, at least from the interchange with Stewart.

Does anyone know what the main street(s) was/were through this area?

[animatedmartian]

I've always thought that interchange was way oversized. It almost seems bigger than downtown Flint itself.

[Rizzo]

I wish the interchange was never built.

[LMich]

I love hearing about things like this:

Wasteland of Flint's Chevy in the Hole will become walkable green space starting this summer

By Scott Atkinson | The Flint Journal

April 10, 2014

FLINT, MI --The transformation of the abandoned industrial brownfield in the middle of Flint called Chevy in the Hole into walkable greenspace is about to begin.

The Genesee County Land Bank and city of Flint, which owns the site, have a plan to turn Chevy in the Hole into Chevy Commons, a parkland along the Flint River with wetlands, woodlands, grasslands and other green areas.

The first phase of that plan will break ground in late summer or early fall, said Christina Kelly, who is directing the work for the Genesee County Land Bank.

A $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency paid for a draft plan to transform the site, with the majority of the money going toward the upcoming construction, Kelly said.

Mayor Dayne Walling said he's excited to see the project move forward. He said the plan meets the expectations that city officials heard from residents when updating Flint's master plan in 2013. He said the plan for Chevy in the Hole calls for access to the Flint River, recreational space, an area for events and recognizing the history of the site's automotive and Native American heritage.

...

This is going to be one of the premier inner-city parklands/natural areas in the entire state if you ask me. This is a perfect reuse for this site, and a perfect example of the reuse of riverfront lands outside of downtowns in right-sizing cities. That said, the site plan doesn't show what's to become of the site on the other side of the river centered around Chevrolet and Bluff. Does Kettering own that part of the site?

[uaarkson]

This is one of the best Flint developments in a while. Maybe the neighborhoods between Chevy and I-69 will start filling in after this?

[robk1982]

Originally Posted by LMich

That said, the site plan doesn't show what's to become of the site on the other side of the river centered around Chevrolet and Bluff. Does Kettering own that part of the site?

Kettering owns at least part of the other side, and wants to build an automotive proving ground.

[LMich]

It seems a bit small for a proving ground.

[robk1982]

I did some Google-ing, and it's being called the Kettering University Student Automotive Research Area. I swear there was an MLive article about it, complete with a graphic showing the plan, but I can't find it.

From what I remember, the "proving ground" was more like a dirt-bike track for off road vehicles, and there may have been a new building as well.

[robk1982]

Here's a news article from Kettering about the automotive research area they want to build on their portion of Chevy-In-The-Hole.

http://www.kettering.edu/news/kusara...acility-campus

And a pdf showing a rough design of the site:

http://www.kettering.edu/sites/defau...ad/KUSARA1.pdf

[LMich]

Thanks for the pdf file. I was having a hard time visualizing this, because when I hear "proving ground" I think of the giant oval track at GM's Milford Proving Ground.

[robk1982]

It's been a while since I've done this, but here are some pics from Flint today.

The compost piles in Chevy-in-the-Hole. They are being turned over now, and there is actually vegetation growing on them.



The formerly-hidden side of the Mott Building:



Genesee Towers site:



The new Farmer's Market. I'm hoping to go there on Thursday and I'll get some inside shots. I've heard it's fantastic.





Right next door at the new MSU College of Medicine Building. The mural was recently touched up.



Construction at the Oak School in the Grand Traverse Neighborhood. It's being turned into subsidized senior housing.

[LMich]

Thanks for the updates. I'm still sad to see where Genesee Towers used to be, though. It'll take me years to get over even though my head tells me that it likely would have never been renovated/reconstructed.

Speaking of which, the AP had a really interesting shot, the other day, showing the skyline without the Towers:


Carlos Osorio

Funny how "small town" it looks with just one building gone. Then, again, this is basically what the city looked like when it was bigger than it is now. I guess if they fill in the area in and around downtown, nobody will care about what the skyline looks like.

[Rizzo]

I have some photos of the interior of the flint market I can share. You'll be impressed. It's very nicely done.

[The-New-Tony-Detroit]

What a shocking image, LMich...

I'd love to see a skyline akin to Greensboro, NC emerge in Flint... the bones of the older buildings are there... and a new skyline defining element would do wonders for the image of the entire Flint metro...

That said, just putting up a tower should be the least of Flint's concerns... it's really about how to responsibly downsize the city and prepare it for a more sustainable future.

[robk1982]

Well, one problem with the picture LMich posted is that it doesn't show the 2nd and 3rd tallest buildings in downtown Flint, which are on the north end of downtown (to the left of the picture). I'm not saying Flint has a great skyline by any means, but viewing it from the north is the only way to see the Riverfront Residence Hall (15 floors), Northbank Center (12 floors), and both Citizens Bank buildings (11 and 10 floors) in their full glory. You also get to see the State of Michigan building (8? floors), the Durant (8 floors) which are not in the picture at all.


An another note, according to Ryan Eashoo's Facebook Page (a well known realtor in Flint), a problematic liquor store on University Ave and Grand Traverse has been sold, and a Jimmy John's might go in.

[robk1982]

Update on the story about Kettering buying the liquor store. The Jimmy Johns thing was just a rumor....

Kettering University buys party store on University and Grand Traverse

By Sarah Schuch | sschuch@mlive.com
on July 15, 2014 at 1:00 PM, updated July 15, 2014 at 1:43 PM

FLINT, MI – Kettering University has purchased another property along the University Avenue corridor in what the school calls an attempt to connect the university with downtown and create a safer environment.

The university finalized the agreement Monday, July 14, to purchase the Pick Quick party store at the corner of University Avenue and Grand Traverse Street at 601 N. Grand Traverse St.

There was no word on how long the store will remain open.

"Kettering University officials are actively seeking family friendly businesses interested in locating their establishments at one of the most prominent, high visibility corners within the city of Flint, with close proximity to Kettering's campus as well as Hurley Medical Center, McLaren Regional Medical Center, University of Michigan-Flint and the thousands of people who pass through downtown Flint and the University Avenue Corridor region on a daily basis," Kettering President Robert McMahan said in a written statement. "The purchase of the property is part of Kettering's continued intention to connect the University's campus to downtown Flint by making the University Avenue corridor safe, walkable, free of blight and attractive for economic development."

Kettering did not disclose the purchase price.

The owner of Pick Quick could not be reached for comment.

Since McMahan arrived on campus in 2011, the university has purchased more than 100 properties, many of them abandoned and blighted.

Many properties have been razed and turned into green space.

.......

The purchase of the party store follows suit with what Kettering did at the corner of University and Chevrolet avenues.

In March 2013, Einstein Bros Bagels opened in a building on that corner. The national coffee and bagel chain replaced Eli's Convenience Store. A Flint Police Service Center was also put in right next door.

.....

[robk1982]

A few pics from the Flint Farmer's Market today. Remember, this is on a Thursday afternoon, and the parking lot was 90% full.

[robk1982]

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/inde..._downtown.html

Construction crews at downtown Flint Dryden Building; Owner says exciting plans on horizon

By Blake Thorne | bthorne1@mlive.com
Follow on Twitter
on October 13, 2014 at 2:21 PM


FLINT, MI -- Construction crews have been spotted at downtown Flint's Dryden Building, a mostly-unused multi-level property owned by Diplomat CEO Phil Hagerman.

It's been a busy year for Hagerman, who on Friday celebrated making his specialty pharmacy company public. Diplomat debuted Friday, Oct. 10 on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DPLO.

In an interview with The Flint Journal on Friday, Hagerman acknowledged the activity happening at Dryden, hinting that exciting plans are in store for the building, but not giving specifics just yet.

"The only thing we'll say is we think downtown Flint is an area with a lot of momentum. ... I'm excited about the future that the Dryden holds," Hagerman said. "I don't have any specific announcements to make yet ... but we think the history of the Dryden Building is not done yet."
....