WOOD TV8 organizes some stats about housing trends. CLICK HERE
Tag Archive for: Pete Bruinsma
Link
Full Article.
Excerpt:
(Fortune) — It is not the kind of view you expect these days in downtrodden Michigan. From this rooftop plaza on the 17th floor of Bridgewater Place, evidence of urban renewal spreads in every direction. Directly to the south is the modern campus of Grand Valley State University, home to 11,000 students. Across the Grand River lies the sprawl of the redeveloped entertainment district, with its new arena and convention center, steps away from downtown business and government office buildings. Atop a hill to the east is the city’s crown jewel: a $1 billion (and growing) medical complex that includes a cancer research center, specialized treatment facilities, and a medical school.
This is Grand Rapids, a small city (pop. 200,000) in western Michigan with a redevelopment plan that has lessons for other cities looking to engineer new growth after the decline of old-economy industries. That this plan has taken hold in, of all places, the Rustbelt of Michigan makes it all the more remarkable. Two decades ago the city could have been headed the way of Flint, Pontiac, and, yes, Detroit. But instead its fortunes have steadily improved, thanks to a remarkable combination of business leadership, public-private cooperation, and the deep pockets of local philanthropists.
Grand Rapids is much smaller than that city on Michigan’s eastern coast, Detroit (pop. 800,000). Its populace is a bit more diverse, its suburban leaders were willing to work with city government, and its issues were much less complex. But at a moment when corporate, philanthropic, and political leaders in Detroit are just beginning the process of working together to help revive the city (see “Downsizing Detroit” on time.com), the Grand Rapids reinvention is worth examining. For years Detroiters were promised that one master project after another would solve their woes. None did. But in Grand Rapids, business leaders painstakingly set goals, aligned with government officials, generated support, and empowered key players. “Every community has a culture, and you have to pick out what works in your own town,” says Birgit Klohs, the energetic head of Right Place, a local economic development group. “You have to figure out who the leaders are, get them onto a team, create the vision, and get everybody headed in the same direction.”
more at bit.ly/gogr
Compare your home, or a home you are considering renting or purchasing, to the rest of the city.
Get your Walk Score
By Chris Knape | The Grand Rapids Press
March 24, 2010, 8:00AM
GRAND RAPIDS — A dilapidated produce distribution center at the southern end of downtown could become a hub of commerce for local farmers, food makers and artisans as part of a $27 million urban market concept unveiled Wednesday.
Grand Action, the private group that led efforts to build the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place, said it would forge ahead with plans to develop an urban market offering space for vendors to create and sell a variety of foods and other goods.
The market also is envisioned as an educational facility with a greenhouse, demonstration kitchen and meeting rooms that will help people better understand local food systems while teaching about healthier eating.
The preferred location is the 3.5-acre former Sonneveldt Produce Co. complex, 435 Ionia Ave. SW. The site is visible from U.S. 131, south of Wealthy Street.
From GRAR.com:
The latest MEAP scores released on Friday, March 12, 2010 showed that GRPS students and schools are continuing a five year streak of dramatic academic gains. The MEAP results demonstrated that since 2005, MEAP scores increased across the board – at every grade level tested – in math, science and reading.
The greatest gains were in MEAP Math. In 2005, the percentage of students scoring proficient or higher was in the high 20s and low 30s. Today, students scoring proficient are in the 60s, 70s, and 80s – in some cases doubling or tripling the percent of proficient scores.
As a result of these dramatic academic gains, GRPS has seen the number of schools meeting AYP skyrocket since 2006. In 2006, only 26 of 55 schools met federal standards. Today, 45 of 55 schools are meeting AYP – just 10 schools shy of every school in the district “making the grade.”
“I want to commend the students, teachers, and school leaders for the hard work that went into preparing for the MEAP,” said Dr. Bernard Taylor, Jr. “There is still a lot of work to be done and many areas where we need to make improvements, but these results further demonstrate that the reforms and improvements we are making are taking root and GRPS is on the right track.”
If you’ve worked with me much over the past year, you probably know that Ive been a big proponent of HUD homes.
From now til 2/12/10, you can still put $100 down and get a HUD Home with an FHA loan. You will also receive $2500 cash back at close on any offer over $25,000. Rehab loans available.
Combined with the 10% 2010 Obama tax credit, this is the best deal Ive ever seen for a first time buyer.
Last chance: Email me if you’d like to receive a list of HUD homes in your targeted area and price range!
