The City of Detroit is considering a very poor proposal for public land disposition. I wrote about it on the Huffington Post website.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
The Beginning: Friends of Spaulding Court
In mid-2009, the community development capacity in Corktown was in shambles. GCDC, the local community development organization, was just months shy of bankruptcy and its democratic spin off, the Corktown Residents Council, was unable to find solid legal footing. A simmering tension between the two made institutional progress in the neighborhood excruciatingly difficult.
Meanwhile, the Wayne County Nuisance Abatement Program was in the process of seizing Spaulding Court from its absentee landlord. By December, with the property seizure nearly finalized and both the Residents Council and the Development Corporation foundering, a fresh organization was proposed that could steward Spaulding Court through a redevelopment effort. The entity was envisioned as a vehicle for local control. Its founding board had ten members; two from GCDC (Tim McKay and Matt Bode), two from Residents Council (Jon Koller and Emily Doerr) and six established residents who lived around Spaulding Court (Jim Brunell, Doug Bennett, George Alexander, Angie Johnson, Greg Willerer and Kristyn Koth). More on the founding board coming in later posts. The mission set upon by those 10 members was “to redevelop Spaulding Court in a way that promotes the strength and diversity of the Corktown community”.
Within a week of incorporation, Friends of Spaulding Court had purchased the 20 unit complex from Wayne County for $1000 and assumed roughly $15,000 in cash liabilities. At Spaulding, two existing tenants—strong community members to this day—were facing leaking roofs, exploding water pipes and red hot electrical hookups in addition to the general atmosphere of danger created by years of high traffic dealing.
The president of the nascent organization—that's me—proposed that the group follow a model he had recently observed at the nascent Green Garage that called first for stabilization to be followed by planning and then finally construction. The board agreed and set out a three prong approach to stabilization—physical, social and financial—that has taken nearly three years to actualize.
This coming January, for the first time, the rent coming from tenants will exceed bare bones operating costs (taxes, insurance and debt payments). Power and water now flow smoothly. A new roof keeps the south building dry and the remaining vacant units are all closed up. Meanwhile, the Soup at Spaulding program has helped fund over 30 small projects around the city. The wider community comes together at Spaulding Court for potlucks, parties, workshops and concerts.
Through all this stabilization work, Friends of Spaulding Court has not bound itself to a single grant agreement, federal contract or mortgage. Instead, the effort delved into fascinating territory with slow money, efficient quality of life, carfree discounts and reverse sweat equity.
These stabilization practices may be helpful models going forward at Spaulding Court and perhaps around Detroit—though it’s important to note that each was borne out of a specific situation, formed with limited experience, and encouraged by dire necessity. In short, they should be seen as valuable reflections of the stabilization phase but not binding commitments to the future. The process of collective visioning, strategic planning and detailing has yet to begin.
Posts about the founding board, carfree discounts, reverse sweat equity, efficient quality of life and slow money are coming up.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Fall, 2017
**This is a forward looking entry, a 5 year vision of sorts. Entries looking back, delving into specific issues and recalling challenges faced will be rolling out over the next month or so.** The air is crisp with anticipation. In the court, tables and benches are crowded with neighbors and allies. They have come together at Spaulding Court from across Detroit and North Corktown to chart a collective course, to ratify or reject the planning that consumed the summer. First up is a proposal to link several household greywater systems to a small water tower with a solar powered pump. After a brief presentation, it is overwhelmingly approved. Also approved are upgrades to a mulched path that leads from a cluster of homes to the main hub of the North Corktown Carshare. It will be paved with recycled highway concrete and lit with solar lights. In all, eight proposals are approved and two are sent back to the drawing board. Work on some will begin Monday morning, others will wait on the shelf until funding can be arranged. Next up is contract ratification. Approved are a number of multi-generational land leases, a land grant to an educational institution, the spinning-off of the North Corktown Carshare, and the transfer of the North building of Spaulding Court to the North Side Cooperative. With the sun setting, the meeting finally breaks up and neighbors filter back to their homes. All around them, the inner harmony of the world is bursting forth; a sliver of a city where it's easy to be good to one another is growing. By any measure, Detroit has had an astonishing five years. The local press gushes about new developments downtown, the "hotbed of young talent" and the booming auto industry. But travelers flock to Detroit to see Detroit's other success story. The longtime community members, the radicals, the unionists and all the other malcontents haven't just watched from the sidelines. Through collaboration, careful stewardship and effective political mobilization, communities across Detroit--even the most marginalized--have seized control of their destinies. The combination of new-found local control and long standing relationships has unleashed an explosion of positive creativity across the city. Small organizations have spread their knowledge and resources far from their incubating neighborhoods. The innovations built up in insulated bubbles through decades of isolation from the dominant economic system--in work, education, financing, collective decision making--have finally broken out into the greater community. Together, these small groups have successfully resisted the forces of displacement and value extraction. They have directed infrastructure investments that have slashed the city's ecological footprint and set the stage for sustainable growth.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Introducing Spaulding Court
Around the time I stopped keeping this blog, I had begun to organize a grassroots organization called Friends of Spaulding Court. Its mission was to redevelop Spaulding Court in a way that promotes the strength and diversity of the Corktown community. Its lever was Spaulding Court itself, a 100 year old, stone faced, 20 unit townhouse complex bought off the county for $1,000.
In the coming days and weeks, I'll be posting about Spaulding Court, a brief history of the organization, challenges we face, fond memories and visions of the future. Please feel free to comment on this or any posts or write me at jon@spauldingcourt.com.
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