Planning and Outreach

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The planning staff is responsible for helping guide Land Bank decision making and working with key public, private and non-profit partners to prepare redevelopment plans for LBA priority areas: the Flint River District, the Grand Traverse/Downtown Area, Metawananee Village, and the Bryant School Area. The Planning Team aims to encourage blight removal, greening and, in some cases, redevelopment in these areas. The planning staff is now leading the planning process to develop a strategy for the entire Flint River Corridor. The goal of this process is to focus resources on converting the river from a polluted waterway into a community asset. The planning staff also formed and staffs the Land Bank Board of Advisors to provide the public with an opportunity to provide input into the LBA decision-making process. Below is the Land Bank Board of Advisors list of members according to ward and district.

County Jurisdiction	Appointee Name		Flint Jurisdiction	Appointee Name
District 1	Myles, Patricia		Ward 1	Ryan, Harry
District 2	Alexander, William		Ward 2	King, Joe
District 3	Petrella, Larry		Ward 3	Vacant
District 4	Vacant		Ward 4	Vacant
District 5	Vacant		Ward 5	Hunt, Cisero
District 6	Faricy, Tim		Ward 6	Del Morone, Chris
District 7	Karlicheck, Joe		Ward 7	Holmes, Deborah (Chair)
District 8	Anger, Joe (Vice-Chair)		Ward 8	Doll, Harold
District 9	Madore, Joe		Ward 9	Vacant

Plans and Strategies

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Through key public, private and non-profit partnerships, Land Bank programs support the beautification and re-use of abandoned residential, commercial and industrial properties acquired through tax foreclosure. The planning team works with area universities and others to develop plans and strategies to encourage strategic and coordinated investment in these tax reverted properties to revitalize neighborhoods and promote smart growth. The Planning Team directed or supported the development of the following plans and strategies.

Plans developed with direct support from the Land Bank and/or the Genesee Institute

Strenghtening Our Community in the Face of Population Decline Report

Strenghtening Our Community in the Face of Population Decline PowerPoint Presentation

Steering Committee Report

Land Banks Renewing Michigan (Video)

Flint River Corridor Alliance Plan This report documents a seven-month process undertaken by the Flint River Corridor Alliance to develop a mission and define priorities for the organization. The process involved conducting surveys and analyzing plans to define key issues, goals, projects, and priorities for the corridor and hosting three information sharing and collaborative planning meetings. During monthly or biweekly meetings, the Alliance defined a mission statement, identified three priority areas, created an organizational structure, defined four priority projects, and developed work plans to guide implementation of four key projects: Flint River District Redevelopment, Riverbank Park improvements, Hamilton Dam replacement, and Flint River trail expansion and improvement. Flint River District Strategy The strategy for the restoration of the Flint River is to reclaim vacant industrial land along the river’s edge to create a green spine of connected open space at the center of the District that will encourage adjacent redevelopment, and that will link the District with the city-wide open space network. The strategy builds on a recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study that examined remediation options and flood control measures for the portion of the river within the District. The study examined two restoration alternatives, each of which reflects different assumptions concerning the availability of land, environmental conditions, and implementation costs. The two alternatives form the basis of two open space and development concepts for the District - the Wide Park and the Narrow Park concepts. In both concepts the riverfront open space system will extend between the Mott Golf Course and Glenwood Cemetery, River Bank Park in Downtown Flint, and Second Street along Swartz Creek. Grand Traverse District Plan 2006 Creating a Neighborhood of Choice is a plan for the Grand Traverse District Neighborhood Association (GTDNA) to stabilize and revitalize its neighborhood. The Grand Traverse District is an approximately 70 square block neighborhood west of downtown Flint. The neighborhood’s boundaries follow I-69 to the south, the Swartz and Thread Creeks to the west, the Flint River to the north, and Beach Street to the east. This area is home to approximately one thousand residents, as well as professional offices, neighborhood businesses, and social service organizations. This plan addresses five goals: (1) Improve housing conditions; (2) Increase home ownership; (3) Improve street, safety, and access conditions for pedestrians and vehicles; (4) Increase recreational opportunities and access to natural areas for people of all ages; and (5) Strengthen resident and business involvement in the community. Guiding Growth in Genesee County This report is designed to provide local government officials with tools and strategies to encourage more cost efficient development. Recommendations for managing growth are developed around an analysis of current growth patterns and the current political climate in both the County and the State. These recommendations are organized under the following four focus goal areas: (1) Encouraging Multi-jurisdictional Planning and Cooperation; (2) Encouraging Smart Infrastructure Planning; (3) Changing the Rules of the Game: Local Land Use Policy Reform; and (4) Developing Land Preservation Guidelines. New Directions for Vehicle City: A Framework for Brownfield Reuse At the request of the Genesee County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA), this plan presents a strategy for the reuse of blighted, contaminated, and functionally obsolete sites, which Michigan State law classifies as “brownfields.” The study area of this plan includes the cities of Burton and Flint and the townships of Flint and Mount Morris. Three main goals guide the redevelopment recommendations in this plan. These goals are: (1) Neighborhood Reinvestment: Rejuvenate formerly thriving neighborhoods through targeted brownfield reuse; (2) Active Reuse: Increase the number of tax-generating properties by actively reusing brownfields; (3) Public Health: Reduce the threats contaminated and nuisance sites pose to public health. Reclaiming the Neighborhoods: Addressing Vacant homes in Mott Park Reclaiming the Neighborhood is a plan for the Genesee County Land Bank and the Mott Park Neighborhood Association (MPNA) to address the increasing numbers of vacant neighborhood homes. Mott Park has 1176 wellconstructed homes and curvilinear, tree-lined streets and is located in southwest Flint. Recently, mortgage foreclosures combined with a lagging economy have threatened neighborhood stability. This plan supplies the Land Bank and the MPNA with several strategies for addressing this new reality. Reimagining Chevy in the Hole The 130-acre brownfield property known as “Chevy in the Hole,” was a key center of manufacturing for General Motors for most of the past century. Adjacent to downtown and surrounded by residential neighborhoods, redevelopment of this riverfront property will play a key role in Flint’s recovery. In this planning document, the Flint Futures group from the School Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan presents two scenarios for redevelopment of the Chevy in the Hole, each responding to a different series of plausible assumptions about residual contamination and Flint’s future growth. Both scenarios are based on the stated preferences of Flint’s residents and business owners. Side Lot Strategy: re-casting lots as yards or gardens The Land Bank commissioned Andrea Urbial Goldner to provide a set of guidelines to follow-up on the Side Lot Transfer Program Evaluation. The first set of recommendations are intended to help improve the Land Bank’s transfer logistics, develop community and resource support programs, and the nurture essential community relationships in executing side lot projects. The second set of recommendations are intended to support the work of the Genesee Institute as it offers an important way to learn from other communities in the country and in the world, generating ideas and guidance beyond the next mowing, and placing Side Lots within the larger set of Flint’s landscape challenges. The third set of recommendations is intended to support the work of Side Lot owners and neighbors. They are on-site monitors of change and advocates for the most local of landscapes. A set of cards are included in the last section of the report with tips on mowing lawns, keeping edges neat, planting the visual and edible landscape, and stitching the city back together lot-by-lot. Side Lot Transfer Program Evaluation The Land Bank Citizen’s Board of Advisors commissioned the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning to evaluate the Side Lot program. The report concluded that transferring vacant lots to adjacent neighbors brought about positive change in Flint neighborhoods. The study recommends that the remaining side lots be transferred and that the Land Bank continue to work towards re-casting these lots as neighborhood assets. Spring Grove Site Plan EPA provided funding to cleanup 4.4 acres of contaminated wetland property located behind the historic Stockton Center. The site, located in downtown Flint, will be converted into a natural area with an environmental education center. Trails on the site will connect to the Flint River Trail and a larger regional bike trail system. Historically, the site was used as a coal yard and later as a city landfill with two rail lines running through the property. A bulk fuel storage area on an adjoining property is an environmental concern. The 200,000 EPA Cleanup grant will enable the Land Bank to work with the Grand Traverse District Neighborhood Association and the Stockton Center to remediate the site and lay the foundation for restoring the native habitat and the 1 acre of wetlands on the site overrun by invasive species. Graduate students from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment developed plans for the site that will guide the wetland restoration and remediation plans. Once the cleanup is complete, the partners will seek additional funding to complete the restoration and education center. Vacant Lot Greening Strategy With a growing inventory of abandoned properties, the Land Bank can no longer afford to mow and maintain all the lots not adopted or cared for through the Clean and Green and Side Lot programs. The Land Bank developed a Greening Strategy to help maintain these lots, to introduce creative greening efforts, and to explore alternative strategies that a) minimize maintenance requirements, b) help improve soil conditions, c) provide plants and trees for neighborhood use, d) help prevent flooding in lowlying areas, e) provide a model for an intensive use garden, and, f) encourage urban agriculture. Vacant Property Now & Tomorrow: Building Enduring Values with Natural Assets Vacant property is sometimes seen as a stain on the fabric of a community. But it doesn’t have to be. Protecting vacant land can be an investment in the future. This publication outlines how the Genesee County Land Bank Authority has turned potential adversity into an environmental and economic asset and how other communities can follow that lead.
Other Plans that maybe a good reference or resource. Top Flint Uptown Reinvestment Strategy The goal of the Flint Uptown Reinvestment Strategy is to transform Flint’s central business district into one of the best small-city downtowns in the United States. Although downtown Flint recently has experienced population loss and relocation of businesses to the suburbs, there is great opportunity to build on public, private, and grassroots support to reinvent a future for downtown. U of M-Flint Campus Master Plan The master plan for the University of Michigan-Flint was begun in summer 2002 to assess current campus needs and to identify future expansion sites for academic, student life, and housing. This master plan was done in concert with the master plan for the Cultural Center (completed in summer 2002) and the Downtown district (completed in spring 2003) with each plan addressing linkages and synergies that could strengthen the entire downtown district. Cultural Center Master Plan The Flint Cultural Center, located in downtown Flint, Michigan, includes six institutions focusing on the arts, music, science, theater, dance, and history. The 30-acre campus, managed by the Flint Cultural Center Corporation, is in need of additional built space and site improvements to meet the missions of the institutions that are housed on the site. This master plan sought to identify common goals among the institutions and to create a physical space that aids in the creation of a more cohesive campus. The goals of the master plan are to: (1) Describe and locate expansion space for individual institutions and campus-wide facilities, (2) Improve the arrival sequence and general vehicular circulation on campus, (3) Create a pedestrian-friendly environment, (4) Analyze and address parking supply and demand issues, and (5) Enhance the landscape quality of campus. Project for Public Spaces (PPS): Flint Farmer's Market Downtown Flint, Michigan is entering into a new period of renewal and growth. With strategic public and private investments, people are beginning to see restored buildings, upgraded historic facades, and even residents moving downtown. Saginaw Street has attractive new arches and streetscape improvements. The Flint Farmers’ Market has been rejuvenated. New businesses are locating both in the market and downtown. The University of Michigan at Flint is building student housing for the first time. While these investments and trends are critical to the future, they are not enough by themselves to create a vital and active downtown. Recognizing the importance that public spaces play in knitting together these new and revitalized uses, Flint’s Downtown Development Authority and the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation, with support from the Ruth Mott Foundation, invited Project for Public Spaces (PPS) to assist them in launching an integrated, community based campaign to revitalize public spaces in downtown Flint.