Better Block project to transform empty lot into community hub
FLINT, Mich. (WNEM) - Local organizations have started an initiative aimed at transforming a section of a mid-Michigan city with empty buildings into a community hub.
There are changes coming to Martin Luther King Avenue in Flint, just north of East Pasadena Avenue.
Crim Fitness Foundation and Better Block are leading the plan of action, and they would like the community’s voice and help to try and make those changes permanent.
“We’re going to have local vendors, we’re going to have local musicians, Friday and Saturday, food trucks, the works. So, it’s going to be a great interactive space,” said Marissa Lopez, the project manager for Better Block.
The organizations are attempting to revitalize a lot that has been sitting vacant for about 15 years.
Cade Surface, the director of urban strategy for Crim Fitness Foundation, said it’s time history catches up with modern times.
“The old building style became illegal when we changed our laws back in the 70′s, and so, that’s one of the stories that we’re trying to tell with this demonstration,” Surface said.
Crim Fitness Foundation is partnering up with Better Block to get the project going.
Workshops will show the community what the space could look like while also providing an opportunity to discuss the idea of changing zoning policies within the city.
“We have a level of power to change the rules that govern the way that our city is built, and all it takes is a little bit of, you know, education and conversation around it,” Surface said.
Leading up to the workshop, they’re hoping to get as many people as they can to volunteer at the event.
“We’re not building an actual building; we’re building a version of one based on all this feedback. And so, it can be really adaptable, and I’m excited not just for this first one but that we can continue to do these in vacant spaces throughout the city in partnership with neighborhood groups all over the place,” Surface said.
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