Commercial activity in the West Village neighborhood off Jefferson Avenue, a few miles from downtown, brings "significant changes . . . as entrepreneurs eye the east side community with desire," Amy Haimerl reports in the latest issue of Crain's.
Part of a map posted by The Villages Community Development Corp. at thevillagesofdetroit.com.
She ticks off signs of vitality:
- The Detroit Lions teamed up with Hatch Detroit to invest in Detroit's neighborhoods, and the organizations are making a six-figure investment in the West Village's infrastructure.
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The Villages Community Development Corp. is spending $2.83 million rehabbing five properties.
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Practice Space, a Detroit-based incubator for architectural projects, is judging applications from business owners seeking to open in a live/work space along Van Dyke Street, near the new restaurant row.
- The Detroit Economic Growth Corp.'s Revolve Detroit program hosted a successful pop-up program along Agnes Street. . . . The response from residents was strong, proving . . . that people wanted to shop and dine in the neighborhood.
Haimerl describes the appealing enclave as "one of Detroit's more stable neighborhoods, abutting the wealth of Indian Village."
The historic district is filled with well-kept apartments and single-family homes from the turn of the century, and nearly three-quarters of properties are inhabited. Only two houses are listed for sale in the neighborhood, which is bounded by the Detroit River to the south, Kercheval Street to the north, Parker Street to the east and Seyburn Street to the west.. . . .
"We are excited about what is happening over there," said Charlie Beckham, director of Detroit's newly created Department of Neighborhoods. "This is a type of model of what we'd like to see in a lot of neighborhoods: revitalization of the residential community along with commercial redevelopment. Craft Work, Detroit Vegan Soul — these are the kinds of small business that the mayor is talking about for commercial redevelopment."
Ten people quoted by the entrepreneurship editor include Michael Forsyth, retail business development manager at the DEGC:
"There have always been a lot of great reasons to want to live in the villages. We wanted to show that there are more and more reasons to do business in the villages as well.
"You are starting to see market demand really pick up. Entrepreneurs are looking for move-in ready space; they are looking for that next frontier. There is tremendous opportunity."
-- Alan Stamm
