The Villages Community Development Corporation would like to offer our opinion as to which district map best represents us. We know each map has plusses and minuses. We deliberated extensively, and while we know this may not be the best choice for all of the City of Detroit,

Map No. 1 is our choice for City Council districts.

1. It combines our district with most of Midtown and all of downtown.
2. It does not split downtown.
3. It keeps the East Jefferson Corridor intact.

Below please find the final schedule for the four public hearings on the proposed City Council districts.

• Tuesday, Feb 7th at 7:00 PM at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 58, 1358 Abbott St. (enter from Porter St.)

• Friday, February 10th at 2:00 PM at St. Maron Center, 11466 Kercheval Ave. (at the corner of St. Jean and Kercheval)

• Monday, February 13 at 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Considine Recreation Center, 8904 Woodward Ave. (near Holbrook)

• Wednesday, February 15, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Greater Christ Baptist Church, 3544 Iroquois (at Mack Avenue)

Your participation in a survey is requested to assist in the planning of a network of greenways in the Greater Riverfront East District of Detroit. This area is also known as the Lower Eastside. Its boundaries are the Detroit River to the south, Mack Avenue to the north, the Dequindre Cut to the west, and Alter Road to the east.

The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. The survey will run until September 1,2010. Please feel free to share this survey with others whom you think would be interested.

Please click on following link to complete the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/765DW9R

Thank you for your time and participation.

- The Greater Riverfront East Environmental Network (GREEN) Task Force

The Villages of Detroit’s Lonely Homes Tour (a realtor-guided free tour of bank-owned residential properties) went off like a rocket in the sun on Sunday, June 14. Tour goers started arriving at Detroit Waldorf School even before the registration time of 12:30 p.m.; 52 people registered for two tours (at 1 p.m. and at 3 p.m.); and the bus provided by Royal Transportation delivered all in comfort to each of five stops per tour. And, while tour-goers were registering, WDET-FM Public Radio reporter Rob St. Mary interviewed them for his web blog.

Participants, led by local realtor Joy Santiago and contractor Dennis Schade, toured three single-family homes in Indian Village and West Village, one West Village duplex and a Gold Coast apartment in different stages of repair. The Tour was designed as a “snapshot” of the available properties at all price levels in our Community.

The tours ended at Mike Tyson’s English Village Brownstones on Field Street for a view of wonderful new construction for those who might prefer a standard purchase in move-in condition.

The Tour has already received compliments like this one from Mike Bobbitt of Hazel Park who wrote “Thank you for doing the tour. It was really impressive. Hopefully one day we’ll be able to…become part of the beautiful community you all have.”

It couldn’t have happened without the help of all the local Neighbors who volunteered their time, energy and talents before, during and after the Tour: Kirsten Ussery, Doug Way, Robert Troutman, Aaron Wagner, Wanda Brock, Janet Wasko, Kathy Beltaire, Kristi Katsma, John Collins, Elke Burger, Judy Delusky, Eric Tabron, Bryce Billings, Keegan Mahoney, Katie TenBrink, Kay Hanson and Paul Trombley. More “thank yous” go to Melanie Reiser and Detroit Waldorf School, Dusing Security, Don Fitzsimmons of Royal Transportation, Royal bus driver Cynthia, realtor Emily Progar, the staff of Indian Village Manor, and Victor Semelsberger of English Village Brownstones. And “thanks” to all those residents, businesses and organizations that have already donated money to the ‘Living in the V’ efforts – you are integral to its success.

The next Lonely Homes Tour (we already have four people signed up!) will occur on Sunday, September 27th as part of the 3rd Annual ‘Living in the V’ Real Estate Open House sponsored by the Villages of Detroit CDC. Stay tuned for more info as plans finalize, and please visit the Villages’ website at www.thevillagesofdetroit.com. You too can become a part of the effort by volunteering your time and energy or by donating dollars. Call Janet at 313-300-7414 or Kathy at 823-3918 – we need your help!  

Welcome to our new website!

Hello, my name is Kim Clayson and I am president of the board of the Villages Community Development Corporation. Let me be the first to welcome you to our new website!

This new home for the Villages of Detroit includes several great new opportunities for the residents of the Villages communities to share their experiences in the Villages with the greater community.

Of most importance, our new website allows the Villages to share the results of a design charrette that occurred in February 2009 which included a full weekend’s work from architecture and urban planning students from Lawrence Tech, University of Michigan and Wayne State University. This excercise allowed the Villages to identify concepts and ideas that would help improve the quality of life within this collection of neighborhoods. From walkability, to retail, access to fresh food to greenways, students identified ways that the Villages can make itself an even better community to live in and to visit. The Villages is looking for feedback to the students concepts and ideas, particularly from those who live right here in the Villages.

We here at the Villages Community Development Corporation are excited to share why this is a great place to live, recreate and do business. The Villages has been my home for three years now and I have truly enjoyed the shared experience of life here in the Villages. Come and take a look at what the Villages has to offer and please consider the great reasons to live here and/or open a business here.

Kim Clayson

President, Villages Community Development Corporation Board,

Resident, Indian Village, The Villages of Detroit.

The Historic Indian Village Home and Garden Tour is celebrating the 114th anniversary of our elegant, historic neighborhood. This is the tour’s 36th year. It is the second oldest tour of its kind in Michigan, preceded only by the Marshall Michigan Historic Home Tour.

In the mid 1950s, the Women’s Garden Club held many events in Indian Village. Their Garden Fair was a precursor to the current tour, which began its run in the 1960s and became an annual event in 1973. It is now sponsored by the Historic Indian Village Association (HIVA), the Indian Village Women’s Garden Club and the Indian Village Men’s Garden Club.

Today, the Indian Village community consists of 352 households, plus six churches, four elementary schools and 1 nursery school. This historic district includes Burns, Iroquois and Seminole Avenues from East Jefferson running one mile north to Mack Avenue.

Although there are features on many homes that fall into a distinct architectural style, Indian Village can best be described as eclectic. As is so typical of American independence, owners chose elements from different architectural styles when building their homes. Detroit’s most distinguished architects designed Indian Village homes. Among them are Marcus Burrowes, Chittenden & Kotting, Albert Kahn, Louis Kamper, Rogers & MacFarlane, Smith Hinchman & Grylls, William B. Stratton, Leonard B. Willeke, George D. Mason, Robert O. Derrick and C. Howard Crane.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets online!