RE: SAGINAW
What started as a documentary has become a community development corporation.
We provide services from historic preservation consultation to window restoration. Our aim is to be an all-in-one service for old buildings in distress.
Never “Too Far Gone”
Reversing Deterioration
Would you rather buy a home with a hole in the roof, or one that has a brand new roof?
Strategic investment plays a critical role in stabilizing severely deteriorated structures and addressing the city’s housing shortage. By allocating resources towards rehabilitating these structures, we not only revitalize the physical appearance of the community, but we also create a safer and more desirable living environment. By stabilizing these properties, we demonstrate our commitment to sustainable, incremental community development.
We don’t need to do the full redevelopment ourselves when we could instead set buyers up for success. If we were to invest the same amount that we spend on demolition, we could repair roofs, foundations, and other structural issues that turn away potential buyers. In the City of Saginaw, there are very few vacant buildings that do not need structural repair. Our job is to determine what these properties need most and address those problems accordingly. Upon sale, we recoup that investment and return it to a revolving fund that allows the work to continue and grow.
“I would love to, but…”
There are a number of properties in Saginaw that are very desirable to developers. The ones that sit vacant for long periods of time often require substantial improvement that cuts into the profitability of the project. What the private market rejects may end up in public ownership, and we see this as the single greatest opportunity of this era. By making improvements strategically, we are able to return these properties to the private market with none of the issues that turn people away.
When you remove the reasons that come after “but,” what you’re left with is, “I’d love to.”
