On Thursday, Cincinnati based developer, MVAH Partners met with residents from the Baxter neighborhood to discuss their plans for 623 Eastern Avenue.
“We're going to be providing affordable housing to your neighborhood, a variety of types and new types and townhomes.”
That is Pete Schwiegeraht, senior vice president of development for MVAH Partnerts. He says the plan is to turn 623 Eastern Avenue into affordable housing. Residents will have to make within 30% to 80% of the area median income to live there. That means a minimum of $14,700 and a maximum of $39,000 per year for a single individual.
“You could make $30,000 a year and as you know one of these new apartments, a two bed, might rent for $1,200 plus a month, well I'm going to provide the same unit but I’m going to provide it to you at $800 a month or $850 a month or somewhere in that zone.”
Dain Gates, a long-time resident of the Baxter neighborhood, says she is concerned about whether the people from her community will be able to afford to live in the area.
“I just would hope that other people would have the same opportunity whether the people here in the community would have the same opportunity to live where he is proposing as people who potentially will come in to live in this community.”
And Gate’s concerns are backed by the numbers. According to 2016, data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the income for an individual living in the Baxter neighborhood is $12,000 per year. The average resident in the area would have to make $2,000 more per year to be able to apply to live in the new development.
“I am saying affordable housing for who because the community that’s grown up here is being pushed out by these developers and housing is not affordable for the people that is already here.”
That’s Elijah Libbet. He lives in Baxter and owns Ellnora’s Kitchen, a neighborhood restaurant neighboring the new development. MVAH Parners is working with local organization Linc Up to help facilitate the outreach to the community.
The developer is hoping to receive funding from the City of Grand Rapids and the State of Michigan in order to begin the development.
Michelle Jokisch polo, WGVU News.