Revisions to Alternatives House plans discussed

Associate Professor Richard Hill-Rowley spoke about changes to the UM-Flint Alternatives House at the Central Park Neighborhood Association meeting Nov. 10.

Hill-Rowley said changes to the design of the house at 924 Eddy St. have not stopped progress and he is hopeful construction will begin as planned during December.

The home is a joint project between the Genesee County Land Bank and the UM-Flint.

"We've made significant changes so that there will be no need for rezoning this property," Hill-Rowley said.

The original plans called for three apartments and a learning center, which the city planning commission rejected. The revised plans reduced the number of apartments to two to avoid any rezoning issue.

"The two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath apartment is on two levels," said Sheri Ananich, who is working with Funchitecture to redesign the structure.

"The one-bedroom apartment is on the second floor," Ananich explained. "The learning center shares the first floor with the two-bedroom apartment."

Another major change to the original design came about when asbestos was found in the walls.

"The land bank decided to remove all plaster in the house because of asbestos concerns," Hill-Rowley said. "They will gut the inside down to the studs. To absorb the additional cost the outside look will not be changed but repaired. We'll paint the shake shingles and repair the stucco instead of removing it," Hill-Rowley explained.

A sprinkler system and new staircases will be added. The original fireplaces will be blocked off.

"They are not energy-efficient," Hill-Rowley explained. "All the heat goes up the chimney."

Parking was another major concern, especially parking for students and events. The new plan calls for parking space on Crapo Street for events and street parking on Avon Street for students. Three resident parking spaces will be on the property off Crapo Street.

"We're also asking students to consider walking and biking to the house," Hill-Rowing said.

The budget for the rehabilitation is estimated to be between $400,000 and $450,000 with UM-Flint covering one-third of the cost and the land bank covering the remaining two-thirds.

Hill-Rowley discussed a potential partnership with Consumers Energy. He said he met with representatives and discussed the use of smart meters — a behavior modifying method of conserving energy.

Two UM-Flint students, Holly Fink and Tyler Hall, presented options for the redesign of Crapo Street, from a four-lane road to either a two-lane road with two-traffic lanes and two bike lanes or adding a left turn lane in the center. The pair also recommended adding 25 parking spots where vehicles would back into angled parking.

Streetlights with a second tier of lighting for pedestrians, benches and trash reciprocals were also recommended. A pedestrian plaza, a living topiary and outdoor pavilion were options the students presented for sprucing up Crapo Street in front of the former Central High School and Whittier Middle School and the Flint Public Library.

In other matters, Norma Sain reported a hold on the rehabilitation work at 606 Crapo St. because the city is undergoing a HUD investigation of federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds. She said HOME funds are being used to rehabilitate the 606 building. Sain also reported a hold on the two demolitions scheduled for 909 Second St. and 920 Second St. because the state has designated the area as a potential historical district.

Custer reported that there were 325 police reports in Ward 7, but only nine of them occurred in Central Park during August and September, according to police crime statistics.

Nancy Covucci reported on the group's blight committee meeting. She distributed forms to members for reporting incidents. She said her committee will be working with homeowners to reduce nuisances and blight.

Nick Letterman announced the group's safety meeting committee would meet at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Court Street Neighborhood House, 727 East St.

The group re-elected Jerry Rule as president and Ed Custer as vice president.

The group also voted to cancel the Dec. 8 meeting.