School of Planning, Design and Construction Urban Collaborators

The City of Flint, Michigan, engaged Michigan State University’s Urban and Regional Planning Practicum to create an implementation plan for the Civic Park Neighborhood. Civic Park is a residential area with mostly single-family housing and small nodes or corridors of commercial uses. This historic community has experienced significant population loss, disinvestment, and blight for several decades. Despite the City of Flint publishing a plan with recommendations for recovery as part of its Neighborhood Planning Initiative (NPI) in 2020, many of those recommendations have not come to fruition due to lack of funding, an absence of organizational support, and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this plan was developed by the Practicum team to assist the city, as well as Civic Park residents and other involved organizations, in further defining and prioritizing revitalization objectives. The updated recommendations identify timely, cost-effective, and impactful ways the city and stakeholders can invest in preserving, rehabilitating, and adding to Civic Park’s assets.

A basic socioeconomic profile, using data from the US Census Bureau, showed more than half of residents have left the neighborhood in the last decade. In that same timespan, household incomes have fallen while unemployment and poverty has risen at rates exceeding that of the City of Flint as a whole. An analysis of the existing businesses and spending potential of the neighborhood, with market data obtained from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), found a lack of basic goods and services exacerbated by the absence of supportive demand. Residents’ previously identified needs for fresh food, health, and banking services remain unfulfilled.

The Practicum team’s in-person fieldwork produced an asset/amenities survey documenting the services, facilities, and community centers that are currently available. The abundance of religious and community gathering spaces demonstrate a potential to capitalize on civic engagement. Parks and pedestrian infrastructure, though also abundant, require significant aesthetic and accessibility improvements to fully and safely serve the neighborhood.

Issues with the housing stock of Civic Park were some of the foremost concerns this plan set out to address. Census data showed high vacancy rates and no new construction since 1970. The team conducted a windshield survey of residential structures currently and formerly listed as part of the local historic district. The survey was used to understand these homes’ structural conditions and to inform recommendations for preservation, repair, or demolition. The results of this survey were cross-referenced with the city’s online Property Portal and information from the Genesee County Land Bank, which owns many of the vacant homes. Findings revealed a concentrated area of substandard housing, along with planned demolitions, in the central part of the neighborhood. Other blocks were observed to have a majority of good and fair condition housing, with needs for minor repairs and improvements.

Based on these observations, additional research of the Practicum team, and the input of city and Land Bank staff, general recommendations were made for three key categories. The first category, Organization and Process, lays out ways in which both the city and community groups in Civic Park can better work to advance improvements and apply for funding opportunities. Recommendations include:

1. Use of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s Tax Increment Financing Program, to establish and fund housing improvements.
2. Support for the Civic Park Neighborhood Association, to create an active and visible group of residents and to establish a 501(c)(3) for tax and funding purposes.
3. Engagement of residents and others outside the neighborhood, through community events and collaborative grant applications.

The aging infrastructure of Civic Park requires investment that will enhance its functionality and service, as well as attract future developers and residents. This includes enhancing major streetscapes with green medians, visible and accessible crosswalks, and improved bus stops. Community branding can also be furthered through signage and artistic enhancements. Bassett Park and the adjacent Haskell Community Center should be prioritized for improvements by the City of Flint; sports field renovations and additional assets, such as trails and lighting, would create a more inviting space for residents to relax and play.

Due to the variety of factors and conditions of the housing in Civic Park, this report suggests smaller focus areas where recommendations can be prioritized for funding and implementation. In the central Dayton Place – Horseshoe portion of the neighborhood, it is recommended that the city and Land Bank collaborate to assess the cost of repairs to homes protected by historical designation and recommend demolition where that cost exceeds the benefit. New infill construction should make use of Tax Increment Financing revenue and encourage higher densities. In two other focus areas where housing is mostly in good condition, the city can use code enforcement and homeowner grants to create complete and sustainable blocks.

To further the attraction of new development and the missing assets the team identified, four development sites were recommended given their locations and features:

1. Clio Road Corridor
2. Civic Park School
3. Dayton Place
4. Welch-Dupont

Zoning for these sites that currently allows for mixed-use development can be expanded and would make ideal locations for grocers, restaurants, and other retail currently missing from Civic Park. The empty Civic Park School, built in 1921, should be a target for adaptive reuse that maintains the façade and character of the original building. Commercial strips in Dayton Place and Welch-Dupont would benefit from improved streetscapes, new public plazas, and updated facades. It is suggested that the City of Flint use the recommendations of this report to determine which projects and initiatives would best improve the Civic Park neighborhood in both the short and long terms.