MSU students' plan presented to 'make Muskegon Heights a desirable place to live'

May 07, 2015

Michigan State University students on Monday, May 4 presented the highlights of a 109-page revitalization and blight elimination plan they'd worked on for months.

By: Stephen Kloosterman, Mlive.com Muskegon News

MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI – Michigan State University students on Monday, May 4 presented the highlights of a 109-page revitalization and blight elimination plan they'd worked on for months.

Lots of places pay consultants tens of thousands of dollars to draw up such documents, which are vehicles the cities use to apply for federal and state grant money.

But the difference for Muskegon Heights is that it got the study from Michigan State for free, and they've already got access to $1.8 million for in grant money through Muskegon County and the Muskegon County Land Bank.

The federal grant of Hardest-Hit dollars is to be spent exclusively for blight elimination in Muskegon Heights, said Muskegon County Land Bank Executive Director Tim Burgess. Between 100 and 200 homes could be demolished, Burgess said. He appreciates students' experience in other Hardest-Hit cities like Flint.

"We haven't had much experience with that funding," he said. "We want to follow some of those models."

Students in Michigan State University's Urban & Regional Planning Department have been working on the development plan since January, when they toured the city and cataloged its buildings. The document was a practicum, or capstone project for the six students' graduate and undergraduate degrees.

Here are some of the students' suggestions, as presented Monday:

Prioritization of Strand Theatre re-development. The theatre could be pivotal for the downtown retail area, according to the report, and students said the boarded-up building could possibly be salvaged. "I think the issue there would be the cost," said student Callie Lama.

Prioritizing code enforcement. Students noted that currently two-thirds of Muskegon Heights' Community Development Block Grant is spent on repairing owner-occupied structures, and only three percent of it on code enforcement. The plan suggested increasing the code enforcement, possibly through a blight-reporting database.

Cleaning up. The students recommended creating a "clean and green" community program to maintain vacant lots across the city.

Planting clover instead of grass on vacant lots. Student Joel Arnold said that clover costs about 7 times less to maintain than grass, because it doesn't need to be mowed.

Selling more vacant lots to neighbors. Students suggested holding a fair-like event where homeowners or possibly landlords could purchase lots that are vacant next to their property.

Looking at the facades in the commercial downtown. Students suggesting conducting a façade condition to see if a program was needed to improve the look of the downtown.

Taking owners of nuisance properties to court. Students suggested pursing adding additional legal staff to pursue nuisance-abatement lawsuits.

Muskegon County Commissioner Rillastine Wilkins said the study would help "make Muskegon Heights a desirable place to live by eliminating blight, increasing business activity and improving quality of life in the city of Muskegon Heights."

"Our hope is that this plan will be accepted and adopted, and implemented as soon as possible," she said.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2015/05/plan_presented_to_make_muskego.html