A Grand Vision for Belknap Lookout

Editorial in The Grand Rapids Press
Monday, October 17, 2005


Grand Rapids' Belknap Lookout neighborhood sits atop a towering glacier-carved hill overlooking the city. The view is spectacular. So is the vision the city officials have for this run-down but rebounding urban tract.

They have proposed turning some of it into a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone. The designation would help revitalize once-stately homes, encourage home ownership and fill up vacant lots. The plan deserves approval from the Grand Rapids City Commission.

First used by the city last year, the zones provide tax breaks for homeowners. If Belknap gets one of its own, qualifying new homes would see property tax bills halved for 12 years. Homeowners who make substantial improvements would see tax reductions, too

The area being considered for these incentives is bounded by Matilda Street on the north, Fairbanks Street on the south, Livingston Avenue on the west and Lafayette Avenue on the east. The few-block stretch includes old Queen Anne and Italianate homes, some dating to the 1800s. Many, whether of that vintage or newer, need repairs.

The enterprise zone plan comes along while a group is working on an innovative new housing project called Newberry Place, which would be within the proposed zone. The "cohousing" development will feature 17 owner-occupied townhouses and a large common house, including a common kitchen and laundry, community meeting place and neighborhood hangout. The idea is to promote neighbor interaction. Each owner in that project would receive an estimated $11,500 during the 12-year life of the tax break.

This would be the third Neighborhood Enterprise Zone designated in Grand Rapids. One is in the North Baxter Neighborhood and has generated 11 homeowner tax break applications. The other is in the Turner Gateway, where the former West Middle School is being converted into condominiums that have generated 169 applications.

The Belknap proposal complements not just Newberry Place but a revived interest in the neighborhood brought on by an influx of health care operations on nearby Michigan Street hill. At least some doctors, nurses and other professionals there are no doubt looking for some place to put down roots that's within walking distance of work and boasts beautiful old homes. Offering these incentives would give them one more reason to look next door. And it would give existing residents every reason to stay.

Homeowner tax breaks are a smart supplement to similar incentives for business, such as Renaissance Zones and tax abatements. Giving residents in distressed areas a leg up shows a willingness to nurture neighborhoods as much as commerce.

Grand Rapids can't be just a commuter destination, where people earn a living, only to do all their real living in surrounding cities and townships. The city won't survive without solid housing to draw and keep committed residents.

Neighborhood Enterprise Zones shore up that essential building block of city life. The Belknap Lookout neighborhood should get one.