INTRO: Bay City is becoming a model for cities around the state. It’s using old architecture to revive its downtown. Monday night the City Council voted unanimously to expand the Center Avenue historic district. It was mainly 250 homes. Now it’s grown to 800 homes, churches and businesses. The council also created the Midland Street commercial district. Supporters say everyone will benefit. Michigan Now’s Chris McCarus reports that historic preservation has taken years to gain acceptance…even in a city with such grand architecture.
In the 1890′s, lumber barons built mansions of stone, brick, wood, lead, copper and stained glass. Their styles are brown English Tudor, yellow and white arts and crafts and Victorian red, burghendy, pink, green and blue. Spires, porches, balconies, spindles, columns and 4 story towers stick out. Jay Lim is a teacher. He grew up in Saginaw. He stepped from his front door and said.
“Isn’t that awesome. I love these houses. I purposely moved to this area because I liked the houses. Purposely to Center Road.”
For decades, the city council has been debating the value of historic preservation. Center Avenue alone got minimal historic designation. But that’s it. Opponents say homeowners are forced to pay extra money, taxes go up and private property rights are threatened. None of those people spoke at the latest council meeting.
“The vast majority of young people who move to the tri-city area for jobs choose to live in Bay City.”
Faith Smith moved to Bay City and to Center Ave in 1973.
“We need to encourage this and one of the ways that we can do this is by expanding the historic district and by protecting our wonderful older homes.”
Bay City’s historic districts require homeowners to get city approval for exterior changes or construction. Officials monitor disrepair so that demolition is almost never needed. Repairs inside and out can bring thousands of dollars in tax credits for homeowners. 70 Michigan communities have historic districts. Detroit’s Boston-Edison is the largest. Heritage Hill in Grand Rapids is the most successful. Historic designation spurs investment that increases property values and deters blight and crime.
Wayne Seeds moved to Bay City in July.
“I could have chose to live anywhere I wanted to. I could have lived in Birmingham. I could have lived in any of those little towns. I have a 2 year old daughter. I really like what Bay City has to offer: the fireworks, the older homes. We bought this home to fix up. It’s just a good community.”
Seeds is in the automotive supply business. He commutes to Detroit. He has lived in many states and in Mexico. Frank Starkweather was another supporter who came to the city council podium. While a University of Michigan student in 1961, he helped push John Kennedy into creating the Peace Corps. Starkweather himself entered the Peace Corps in Nigeria and still does community development here. He says you can choose to maintain an old city or destroy it.
“I was born and raised on the west side of Saginaw. I went away for a number of years and when I came back I was astonished to see what they did to Michigan Avenue and to their downtown. Many of these things happen in such a negative way because of poor zoning and lack of respect for historical things. There are few shining examples in the Saginaw community of lovely places where people have invested greatly. The community as a whole has deteriorated immensely. And so I’m a refugee living in Bay City for 25-30 years and happy to be here.”
1,200 employees will eventually work at the new Dow Chemical solar shingle plant in Midland. 800 others will work at the Dow Kokam battery plant for electric vehicles. Bay City Commissioner Dennis Banaszak says:
“We’re going to have people coming into this community in the future, they’re going to be coming from homes that are worth $350,000 where Bay City’s homes are worth $60,000.”
Therefore, the new residents will likely have extra cash on hand to beautify their houses. Banazsak urged fellow commissioners to update and improve the historic district ordinances first discussed 30 years ago.
“This issue is not something new. We’re looking to increase tax base, tourism and investment in housing stock that isn’t happening now. And the increase in employment that’s gonna go with it. I don’t see a downside to creating these districts.”
Banazsak got what he wanted. The commission approved the ordinances unanimously.
Dr. Steve Ingersoll got what he wanted too. He’s the eye doctor from Greenville who moved to a Victorian home on Center Ave in Bay City and began buying up dilapidated properties and repairing them. Last year, he spent $3 million on an abandoned church and turned it into a charter school that opened this fall. The city council’s yes vote now puts that school church into the historic district. Ingersoll filed extensive paper work with the state. He will get a $700,000 historic tax credit on the project. Without incentives like this for cities, money will keep pouring into far suburbs.
“As cities become strip malls Bay City’s future lies in its architectural history. There’s no doubt about that. People hunger for the eclectic designs. It’s huge for the city. This will become the economic engine, the architecture, both in the short term and the long term.”
In 2002 Michigan State University did a study finding the Bay City, Saginaw and Midland area was paving over farmland 27 times faster than population growth. That’s the highest ratio in the state. Most Michiganders drive north on I-75 and don’t bother veering into downtown. The malls at the Wilder Road exit can seem endless. It’s hard to imagine Bay City proper could look so different. Dr. Ingersoll says:
“Huge land use mistake. We’ll pay for that. We’re much better off to restore existing architecture than to put up pole barns in corn fields. That just makes no sense. It makes no societal sense. It makes no economic sense and it’s certainly bad public policy. So this vote of confidence in the architecture of Bay City tonight will turn out to be a turning point for this city.”
Dr. Ingersoll has been speaking with Governor Snyder. They might replicate Ingersoll’s community redevelopment model in Saginaw, Flint, Detroit and elsewhere.
