Yesterday, someone on Twitter called me out for being silent on the subject of International Village, the $350+ million dollar retail and housing development being proposed for Ypsilanti’s 36-acre Water Street property. According to this person, who was posting under a pseudonym, my silence on the matter was “deafening.” It’s something I’ve heard several times […]
Tag Archives: gentrification
My thoughts on International Village
Ypsi/Arbor Exit Interview: D’Real Graham
A few weeks ago, longtime Ypsilanti resident D’Real Graham left town for Washington, DC, where he’ll soon be restarting his college career. Before leaving, D’Real and I had the occasion to exchange a few emails about his memories of growing up here, how he’d seen the city change over his lifetime, and his plans for […]
Exploiting a loophole, Ypsilanti’s Cross Street Village transitions away from affordable senior housing just 15 years after receiving Low-Income Housing Tax Credits
As I understand it, tomorrow (Friday) at 9:30 AM, there’s going to be an open meeting at the Presbyterian church on North Washington Street, south of Cross, to discuss changes afoot at Cross Street Village, the senior housing development located in Ypsilanti’s old high school building at the intersection of Cross and North Washington. It […]
The Detroit News explores gentrification in Ypsilanti
As difficult and painful as it can be sometimes, I like living in a community where things like race and gentrification aren’t just swept under the rug, but actually discussed in public. The most recent example of this, if you haven’t seen it yet, is a front page story by Brianna Kelly in today’s Detroit […]