posted on August 28, 2009 17:36
Editor's Note: We're very fortunate this week to have as a guest blogger our partner and good friend Brian McGrain from the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM). By day, Brian is CEDAM's Associate Director & Chief Operating Officer and serves as CEDAM's representative on the Michigan Main Street Advisory Committee and Michigan Downtown Conference Planning Partners Committee. By night, Brian is an Ingham County Commissioner and active member of the Grand River Connection, a Lansing-based Young Professionals Network.
By Brian McGrain
Associate Director/Chief Operating Officer
Community Economic Development Association of Michigan
In talking about downtown development, many of us think of what could probably now be called the “traditional” elements – commercial attraction and retention, façade improvement, special events, and so forth. We seek to find creative ways to bring people into our commercial districts and get them spend their money! But, it sometimes seems like we forget one of the most obvious ways to create a community supportive of our local businesses: by providing housing opportunities in the immediate vicinity.
Like all of our work, this too is a challenging endeavor. We’ve seen our downtowns empty out as people over the past decades moved out from downtowns. Shopping malls were built to provide these people with convenient access to goods where they were choosing to live. Unfortunately, we found ourselves spending most of our day in the car, shuttling between all the places we needed to go, when once they all used to be found conveniently within walking distance. A feeling of alienation ensued as we spent more time in our cars and homes than outside amongst other people.
I like to think the tide has turned in our country. More and more people are realizing that they miss the connection to real community – that they want to be able to live and work and shop and socialize in a more natural, unique environment. Downtowns are poised to once again provide that community…all that’s left to do is make sure that adequate housing situations are present.
And we’re seeing that in cities across our state, nonprofit and for-profit developers are responding. Market-rate projects featuring both in-fill new construction and renovated existing construction are being built all over. Nonprofit developers are also providing ways for working class families to affordably live in our urban centers. And beyond that, they’re also creating “out-of-the-box” living environments (such as the Armory Arts Project in Jackson or the Division Avenue Arts Cooperative in Grand Rapids) that serve niche markets and help to up the “cool” factor of an area. People are once again being afforded the option to live in a real community. And these people and the local businesses they support create a great symbiotic relationship.
At the 2009 Michigan Downtowns Conference, we will be featuring a session specifically on downtown housing. Two developers—one from Flint and one from Muskegon—will highlight some projects they have been working on to bring residents back to their respective downtowns. They will discuss the challenges and realities of their work, and also provide some ideas for how your downtown organization can work to encourage development. Please join us at the conference for this and other sessions highlighting innovative work in Michigan…and beyond!