Carriage Town group discusses Jackson Hardy site

The Carriage Town Historic Neighborhood Association Jan. 20 discussed a landscaping minigrant and increasing occupancy and elected new board members.

The group was awarded a $1,000 Community Foundation of Greater Flint minigrant to restore green space at the corner of University Avenue and Garland Street at the former site of the Jackson Hardy House. The neighborhood association property and the adjacent UM-Flint Urban Alternatives House were destroyed by fire late last year.

Rowe Engineering will design a new green space to occupy the empty corner. President Tim Monahan said that reclaimed field stone and decorative plants from a 12- to 14-year-old  Victorian Gardens project off University Avenue and Mason Street will be replanted on the site.

The association was asked to push more home ownership in the neighborhood. Ryan Eashoo said that residents have a good foundation for something huge in Carriage Town. One of the neighborhood's strengths is that it is affordable. He suggested marketing houses to people in Detroit or Ann Arbor. Members suggested adding all of the neighborhood real estate listings, apartments for rent and commercial spaces for lease to the association's web site, cthna.org. Eashoo said he had access to the listing information.

Annual elections were also held for six of the nine board positions.

Members Bill Gainey, Tim Monahan, Joe Scipani, Paul Herring, John Knickerbocker and Richard Dicks Jr. were elected to fill the five two-year terms and one one-year term. Board members will choose how to split up the two-year and one-year terms. Three additional board positions were not up for election and the members have at least one more year to serve.

The group will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Good Beans Cafe, 328 N. Grand Traverse St.

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