Community Meetings about Civic Park Historic District to be Held Today

The Genesee County Land Bank, along with the City of Flint, will host two community meetings today to share the outcomes of the Civic Park Historic District study. Residents will have the opportunity to give feedback on proposed changes to the boundaries of the Civic Park district which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Civic Park neighborhood includes two historic districts. The local Historic District is smaller and closer to the core of the old Civic Park School and extends south to Bassett Park. The National Register of Historic Places Civic Park Historic District is three times larger than the local district and extends south to Welch Blvd and east to Dupont St.

The study being discussed looked at the condition of properties to the National Register of Historic Places - Civic Park Historic District (larger of the two) to determine the extent of changes that have occurred in the last 34 years and whether the historic nature of these homes has remained intact. The study found changes in the condition of properties and areas of the neighborhood are no longer contributing to the historic integrity of the district. Historic district designations are meant to improve and keep neighborhoods looking intact and similar to the condition when they were built. They also limit the ability for demolition in the neighborhood to only the worst cases. The Genesee Countl Land Bank says very few homes are being renovated in Civic Park today and the ones remaining cannot be approved for demolition due to the historic designation.

The meetings will be held at Joy Tabernacle Church located at 2025 Chevrolet Avenue from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m.