““The bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix, her ashes new create another heir as great in admiration as herself”- Archbishop Cranmer, Henry VIII”
Safe and affordable housing is the foundation that allows individuals and families to move along the continuum of assistance to financial security. Today, houses in the core city are selling quickly and prices are on the rise. According to The United Way, 63% of Muskegon's core-city population struggles to save any money in today's economy. With the high cost of housing being the largest burden on their paycheck, many families live in low quality, expensive rentals with little hope of getting on the property ladder.
In 2010, an accidental kitchen fire at a Community enCompass apartment building in Nelson Neighborhood burned the building to the ground. No one was injured, but a 100-year-old architectural beauty had to be demolished, leaving a gaping hole in the landscape of the block. Fast forward 10 years this site has become the Phoenix quadplex. The Phoenix refers to the Greek mythological concept of rising, being reborn from its own ashes. If successful we plan to expand the Phoenix project across Muskegon's core city neighborhoods, birthing new homes from the ashes of demolished lots, just like the Greek Phoenix, Redemption!
The Phoenix is a quadplex rental apartment building, at 380 Houston Ave in the heart of the Nelson Neighborhood. This building is designed to match the size, scale, and character of the surrounding houses and buildings in the neighborhood. With 4 apartment units, 3 of which are 2-bedroom units, including full bathrooms and a total living space of approximately 750 square feet each, the 4th unit is a fully accessible one bedroom apartment of the same size. The Phoenix has been built with the latest in energy efficient technology to keep utility bills low. Rents are set to be affordable and work with renters budget to provide accommodation under the area medium. The Phoenix Project will allow renters to begin saving money, helping them build a financial cushion that will help build credit, and in time apply for a mortgage.
With the recent demolition of hundreds of blighted homes, opportunities abound to create a new kind of housing on vacant lots. Nelson Neighborhood is situated adjacent to downtown Muskegon’s central business district which is the perfect place to add structures that increase density, and create a neighborhood full of diversity where we all want to live, work, play, worship, and BE! Now is the time to build.
The Phoenix will be placed at 380 Houston Ave Monday December 23rd 2019.
You’ve got to have a network that you trust above yourself. We always see ourselves less than what we are, and sometimes you have to trust the voices of those around you.