Clanging and banging are the sounds of progress in a Detroit neighborhood just east of Woodward above 7 Mile, as Laura Berman describes in The Detroit News.
Construction crews man cranes and excavators, clearing land for the next phase of the Penrose development, tucked into a six-block area south of the Michigan State Fairgrounds.
This is becoming a traditional Detroit neighborhood reimagined, with freshly poured concrete sidewalks, front and back porches that promote friendliness, and neighbors waving to each other. There’s an “art house,” where artists teach neighborhood children and adults. Two large gardens are tended full time, with the help of neighborhood volunteers. . . .
Crews are building 36 new homes, adding to the equal number built in 2006. The houses have granite-look counters, planked floors, basements and at least two baths, yet rent for about $500 a month.
The columnist speaks with Jenelle Christian, a mother of three who has lives in the project's first phase since 1997:
“I’m excited about what’s going on. This is becoming a real neighborhood, not just a place where you stay.”
Berman also interviews Ann Arbor developer Sam Thomas, who used to live nearby in Palmer Woods and undertook the project with two North Carolina partners. He calls it "the most satisfying thing that I have done.”
Penrose is a $40-million public-private collaboration that relies on the cooperation of the city of Detroit, which has been tearing down homes and selling land to the partners.
Even more, it depends on a low-income housing tax credit program devised by the IRS: The development is awarded tax credits, which are then sold to investors.
Penrose was the focus of a Metro Times cover article by Curt Guyette two month ago.
