Lydia St Traffic Calming

📣 Residents on Lydia St! 📣 You have received a mailer from MobileGR regarding a street calming treatment on Lydia St.

Lydia St and Bissell/College are topics the neighborhood association hears about frequently. No solution is perfect, nor will any one solution solve every problem; we have to increment our way to a better street system.

MobileGR needs to hear from citizens regarding this treatment by August 31st - so please mail your responses back. If you have any questions let us know (hpngr@gmail.com).

The green area on Lydia across from Benson is a curb bump out. Not only is visually narrowing a street the single most effective way to reduce traffic speed, this will also reduce the crossing distance at Benson Ave. Across Lydia St from Benson Ave is the north/rear entrance of Highland Park. It is a future aspiration to improve this north entrance to an path. The idea of connecting Highland Park with the The Gulch and the CLAC [*1] via Benson Ave and Union Ave is an intriguing idea.

The dotted lines indicate existing and potential trails/paths:

If you are a Lydia St resident please consider responding to Mobile GR’s mailer.

[*1] The CLAC: the business district at College Ave, Leonard St, and Carrier St.

Sounds of the Underground

Have you notice these boxes around the city? [and in Highland Park!]

These are an art and advocacy project by the Coldbrook Creek community. The boxes allow you to hear the sounds of the underground, in places where Coldbrook Creek has been buried.

Coldbrook Creek now flows mostly underground. The installations are in Wilcox Park, Fulton Street Market, Highland Park, Mary Waters Park, and Canal Park.

You can find more information @ https://coldbrookcreek.org/sound-underground-art-project/

Phius ZERO

Did you know that the single-unit residential building being built at 720 Eastern Ave NE is a “Phius ZERO” project?

Phius ZERO is the latest standard for net zero energy design. When complete the building should be the most energy efficient single-unit residential building in the city of Grand Rapids; with both Greenstar Platinum and LEED Platinum certification.

You can read more about the Phius ZERO standard @ https://www.phius.org/phius-zero

Board Meeting 2024-08-13

When: 2024-08-13, 6:30pm

Where: Emerald Flats Auditorium ■ 750 Eastern Ave NE (use the west entrance)

Minutes 2024-07-09: https://bit.ly/3w8z2zx

Agenda 2024-08-13: https://bit.ly/44wzdRN

Board nominations are still open! Contact HPNA or a board member prior to the September 10th meeting when board nominations will close.

Future Events & Meetings:

  • 2024-09-10 Board Meeting

  • 2024-09-14 Dumpster Day

  • 2024-10-08 Annual Meeting

  • 2014-11-12 Board Meeting

The Next Gulch Project

The city will be performing a sewer slip-lining project during the next couple of weeks using the new access road in The Gulch [between Coldbrook and Union].

After the project is complete the surface of the access road will be improved with finer gravel over the refuse rock of the road bed (which is currently the exposed surface). The treatment of the access road surface is expected to happen later this summer.

2024 Party In The Park

Summer is here - and that means it's time for the Highland Park Neighborhood Association's annual PARTY IN THE PARK!

Round up family & friends and join us for grilling, ice cream, music, and lawn games. Reps from various park user groups will be on hand to talk park sports and offer a few demos. Enjoy meeting neighbors and chatting with HPNA board members about all the latest in the Highland Park neighborhood.

Hot dogs, snacks, and ice cream will be provided but we'll welcome any dishes you'd like to bring to pass.

This is a FREE event sponsored by the Highland Park Neighborhood Association.

We'll meet up near the parking lot at the south end of the park by the splash pad and rock climbing wall. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for updates. See you there!

Where: Highland Park (use south east entrance)

When: July 20th, 2024. 1pm - 4pm

Check back here for updates and more information.

A Reminder Of Parking Rules

An automobile may not be parked:

  • On the sidewalk or the space between the street curb and the sidewalk, regardless of if the area is paved.

  • Blocking a driveway or alley; or within 3ft of the curb-line of a driveway or alley. The curb cut line extends from the curb into the street at a 45 degree angle.

  • Within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant or intersection.

  • Withing fifty (50) feet of a railroad crossing.

  • Within thirty (30) feet of any flashing signal or traffic control signal

  • Within twenty (20) feet of a marked crosswalk.

  • Within any marked bike lane

  • Within a marked fire-lane

  • In a space signed for use by a disabled person without displaying the appropriate documentation or tags.

According to the Michigan Vehicle Code it is also impermissible to park in a tunnel or in anyway that block streetcar tracks; however, Highland Park has neither tunnels or a street car. Do we have a marked fire-lane? 🤔

2024 Master Plan Review

The City of Grand Rapids is in the home stretch for developing its next 20-year Master Plan! Now's your chance to check out the draft plan and give final feedback. They'll be hosting three sessions.. Free dinner provided! RSVP @ https://bit.ly/3wlWlWu

• Tuesday • May 7 • 5-7PM @ GRPS University (1400 Fuller Ave NE)

• Wednesday • May 8 • 5-7PM @ Ottawa Hills High School (2055 Rosewood Ave SE)

• Thursday • May 8 • 5-7PM @ Sibley Elementary (943 Sibley St. NW)

Board Meeting 2023-01-09

When: 2024-01-09, 6:30pm

Where: Emerald Flats Auditorium ■ 750 Eastern Ave NE (use the west entrance)

Minutes 2023-11-21: http://bit.ly/3GgMP9b

Agenda 2024-01-09: https://bit.ly/3RQdwX1

Pizza and beverages will be provided as we go through the questions from Phase #3 of the city’s Master Plan process. Bring you hopes, dreams, and imagination; what future do you imagine for the neighborhood?

Think about ….

  • In what ways are you connected to the neighborhood?

  • How does affordability impact youth, older adults, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations in the neighborhood?

  • What are the barriers to ownership present in our neighborhood?

  • How do you feel about duplexes, triplexes, and accessory dwelling units being built in or near our neighborhood?

  • What should change in order for our neighborhood to be more inclusive?

  • How do people in our neighborhood get to work, school, or to see friends? Biking, walking, public transportation, driving? What are some challenges that come with using transportation options other than cars?

  • Are people with disabilities, older adults, and children able to get around the same way?

  • What would you like to see change about how people move in and through your neighborhood?

  • What barriers currently prevent small businesses from being sustainable and/or accessible in our neighborhood?

  • Where are business and organizations creating using non-traditional spaces? (alleyways, vacant land, etc…?)

  • How could businesses be better connected to our neighborhood in the future?

  • What are some opportunities for under and unused spaces in the neighborhood?

  • What are some barriers you or others face regarding overall affordability and cost of living?

  • Are their places within our neighborhood that are historically or culturally important that you would like to see highlighted or replicated?

  • What types of design features are unique to our neighborhood?

The Master Plan is focused on the “built environment” - what you see when you look around; the design of streets, sidewalks, buildings, and all of the infrastructure of a city. How we choose to design our built environment has impacts on everything for decades, if not longer. When you move through the neighborhood what aspects of the built environment add value and contribute to your experience? What aspects do you experience negatively?