An effort is underway to improve property values in some Flint neighborhoods.
Driving through Flint’s north side, it’s not uncommon to see nicely kept single family homes sitting next door to vacant andblighted homes.
A new program hopes to rehab those blighted homes, and in turn bring in first time homebuyers and improve property values around the entire neighborhood.
“We’re going to take efforts to raise property values by kind of resetting the market through this program, and that will help current homeowners and future homeowners,” says Brian Glowiak, the CEO of Metro Community Development.
Glowiak admits this approach is not unique, nor is it a panacea, but he says it will help those neighborhoods in the long run.
Michele Wildman is the executive director of the Genesee County Land Bank.
She says not every vacant home should be a candidate for demolition.
“I’m so thrilled to see the investment in rehab, helping to protect and preserve the character of our north end neighborhoods,” says Wildman.
A $250,000 grant from the Consumer’s Energy Foundation will enable the project to begin rehabbing a half dozen homes. Over the next decade, they plan to use the seed money, along with the money raised through selling the rehabbed homes, to renovate dozens more.
