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A better Livonia; City Beautification
Topic Started: Jan 22 2008, 02:55 PM (1,477 Views)
BrokenRhino
Member
[ *  * ]
I think that Livonia is a great place to live, but it could be significantly better. I have a few ideas to bounce of you and ask for any other ways to pull Livonia up a little bit.

-Our overpasses need to be refaced. Everyone in the area see the overpasses in Livonia whether it is 275 or 96, they need some work. A brick veneer like Novi has put in, would look great. It is a simple and relatively cheap way to make Livonia look a little more upscale.

-We need nice signs when you are entering Livonia. We should be proud of our city and proud to tell people you have just entered it. A little landscaping couldn't cost all that much to improve our image. Those little blue signs are terrible.

-A downtown. No, Plymouth road is not a downtown. I know it is a pie in the sky idea but would give this city a draw and an identity.

-Better enforcement of city codes. They are already there we just need someone to enforce them. I am not saying that they turn into yard Nazis. But I have neighbors that do not take in there garbage cans. They actually just take the garbage bags out to the cans that have been sitting on the street for weeks. I have another neighbor that parks his RV in his back yard on my fence line. It has been there for 7 years and has never moved. That same neighbor had 5 rusting cars sitting in his back yard. The city finally made him move the cars so he parks two of them in his driveway and has two in the street. Two is still back there. I live at 5 and Merriman, I think we are better than this.
We just need to take some pride in our community and neighborhoods.

-People need to work on their landscaping, it isn't that hard to plant some flowers and keep your lawn watered.

-City wide wi-fi??? We will be waiting until the next mayor for that I bet.

-7 and Middlebelt. Seriously needs some work. The old FJ is a good building but it empty and won't stay nice for long. This is a topic unto itself North East Livonia Topic


These are just some ideas I have had. I know most will never happen it Livonia.
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Otis B.
Veteran
"Better enforcement of city codes. They are already there we just need someone to enforce them. I am not saying that they turn into yard Nazis. But I have neighbors that do not take in there garbage cans. They actually just take the garbage bags out to the cans that have been sitting on the street for weeks. I have another neighbor that parks his RV in his back yard on my fence line. It has been there for 7 years and has never moved. That same neighbor had 5 rusting cars sitting in his back yard. The city finally made him move the cars so he parks two of them in his driveway and has two in the street. Two is still back there. I live at 5 and Merriman, I think we are better than this.
We just need to take some pride in our community and neighborhoods."

I brought this up in the NE thread. I have a neighbor that parks his trailer in between our houses. When walking my dog around the neighborhood, I see house after house with broken and rusted fences, garbage and litter strewn about, and clear violations of city codes such as you mentioned. Handing out citations and encouraging the neighborhoods to form beuatification committees would go a long way in improving the blight.
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livoniarocks
Veteran
BrokenRhino
Jan 22 2008, 01:55 PM


-A downtown. No, Plymouth road is not a downtown. I know it is a pie in the sky idea but would give this city a draw and an identity.


Where would you put a downtown? we are 98% developed.
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Otis B.
Veteran
Here's an idea...

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801150351
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BrokenRhino
Member
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Otis B.
Jan 22 2008, 02:15 PM
"Better enforcement of city codes. They are already there we just need someone to enforce them. I am not saying that they turn into yard Nazis. But I have neighbors that do not take in there garbage cans. They actually just take the garbage bags out to the cans that have been sitting on the street for weeks. I have another neighbor that parks his RV in his back yard on my fence line. It has been there for 7 years and has never moved. That same neighbor had 5 rusting cars sitting in his back yard. The city finally made him move the cars so he parks two of them in his driveway and has two in the street. Two is still back there. I live at 5 and Merriman, I think we are better than this.
We just need to take some pride in our community and neighborhoods."

I brought this up in the NE thread. I have a neighbor that parks his trailer in between our houses. When walking my dog around the neighborhood, I see house after house with broken and rusted fences, garbage and litter strewn about, and clear violations of city codes such as you mentioned. Handing out citations and encouraging the neighborhoods to form beuatification committees would go a long way in improving the blight.

City beuatification committees would be a great idea. I know most of my neighbors good people that try very hard to take care of their yards. Most that don't are just too old to get out there and do the work.

There are the few that have able bodied people living there that can't get away from the TV to plant some flowers or fix their fence.
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BrokenRhino
Member
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livoniarocks
Jan 22 2008, 02:49 PM
BrokenRhino
Jan 22 2008, 01:55 PM


-A downtown. No, Plymouth road is not a downtown. I know it is a pie in the sky idea but would give this city a draw and an identity.


Where would you put a downtown? we are 98% developed.

The optimal place would be 5 mile and farmington. That is our unofficial downtown.
A great area would be 6 and Farmington.
Also, 7 and Middlebelt isn't exactly the center of commerce in the city but it would be a great location and it needs to be redeveloped.
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Otis B.
Veteran
I just don't understand why it is so rampant, and why the residents and city hall will not do more to combat it. I grew up in Dearbron (which I believe has a lot in common with Livonia) and some of the things I now see would not be tolerated for 5 minutes in Dearborn (at least when I was living there). The reason for this is because the mantra was to "Keep Dearbron Clean" and that resonated from city hall all the way down to the working class neighborhoods. Everyone policed each other, and it worked.
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BrokenRhino
Member
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Otis B.
Jan 22 2008, 03:22 PM

Looks like something we should have here. We must be proactive or we will fall too far behind. A blight effects us all. I'm a little pissed that a year after I bought my house the house next door sold for $20k less than mine. It needed a lot of work on the inside but still the real esate market is terrible in Livonia. We need to do everything we can to make sure the trend doesn't get any worse.
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Otis B.
Veteran
BrokenRhino
Jan 22 2008, 03:55 PM
Otis B.
Jan 22 2008, 03:22 PM

Looks like something we should have here. We must be proactive or we will fall too far behind. A blight effects us all. I'm a little pissed that a year after I bought my house the house next door sold for $20k less than mine. It needed a lot of work on the inside but still the real esate market is terrible in Livonia. We need to do everything we can to make sure the trend doesn't get any worse.

Anyone have some ideas as to the best way to organize and present something like this to the city? A campaign, perhaps? It would obviously be something from the grass-roots level.
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puppylover6464
Advanced Member
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i don't know where you all live, but here at 7 && middlebelt, the city inspectors come around to look for violations of city codes ALL the time, especially in the summer.

actually, i think it might just be that my neighbors are crazy and call the city every time someone is in minor violation of any type of anything...but still.
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Otis B.
Veteran
puppylover6464
Jan 22 2008, 04:21 PM
i don't know where you all live, but here at 7 &&  middlebelt, the city inspectors come around to look for violations of city codes ALL the time, especially in the summer.

actually, i think it might just be that my neighbors are crazy and call the city every time someone is in minor violation of any type of anything...but still.

I live at 7 & Middlebelt, and do not see the inspectors you reference. I'm not saying that you are lying, but why haven't these inspectors cracked down on my neighbor who has had his stupid trailer parked next to my house for 3 years?! :angry:
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BrokenRhino
Member
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puppylover6464
Jan 22 2008, 04:21 PM
i don't know where you all live, but here at 7 && middlebelt, the city inspectors come around to look for violations of city codes ALL the time, especially in the summer.

actually, i think it might just be that my neighbors are crazy and call the city every time someone is in minor violation of any type of anything...but still.

I live at 5 and merriman. To get them to do anything you have to call over and over. Your neighbors must really be busybuddies.
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puppylover6464
Advanced Member
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Otis B.
Jan 22 2008, 04:27 PM
puppylover6464
Jan 22 2008, 04:21 PM
i don't know where you all live, but here at 7 &&  middlebelt, the city inspectors come around to look for violations of city codes ALL the time, especially in the summer.

actually, i think it might just be that my neighbors are crazy and call the city every time someone is in minor violation of any type of anything...but still.

I live at 7 & Middlebelt, and do not see the inspectors you reference. I'm not saying that you are lying, but why haven't these inspectors cracked down on my neighbor who has had his stupid trailer parked next to my house for 3 years?! :angry:

which side of 7 && middlebelt? i'm in the sub in front of coolidge, near art van.

i bet if you called the city they'd be out there tomorrow.
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puppylover6464
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BrokenRhino
Jan 22 2008, 04:27 PM
puppylover6464
Jan 22 2008, 04:21 PM
i don't know where you all live, but here at 7 &&  middlebelt, the city inspectors come around to look for violations of city codes ALL the time, especially in the summer.

actually, i think it might just be that my neighbors are crazy and call the city every time someone is in minor violation of any type of anything...but still.

I live at 5 and merriman. To get them to do anything you have to call over and over. Your neighbors must really be busybuddies.

i wouldn't put it past my neighbors to call every day for however long it takes.

they tore down our chain link fence last summer, after asking our permission to rebuild a privacy fence in it's place. we ok'd it, and were happy with the result. that is...UNTIL we found out they left about a two foot gap in the back behind our garage without telling us. we realized what happened when we couldn't find the dog (whom they don't like)...
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IDK
Advanced Member
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Otis B.
Jan 22 2008, 04:27 PM
puppylover6464
Jan 22 2008, 04:21 PM
i don't know where you all live, but here at 7 &&  middlebelt, the city inspectors come around to look for violations of city codes ALL the time, especially in the summer.

actually, i think it might just be that my neighbors are crazy and call the city every time someone is in minor violation of any type of anything...but still.

I live at 7 & Middlebelt, and do not see the inspectors you reference. I'm not saying that you are lying, but why haven't these inspectors cracked down on my neighbor who has had his stupid trailer parked next to my house for 3 years?! :angry:

Go into the city office building a file a complaint. My neighbor had a industrial backhoe in his backyard for the summer, I complained and it was taken care of. You can't just sit and wait for an inspector to drive by, go in and fill out a complaint.
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Otis B.
Veteran
IDK
Jan 22 2008, 06:15 PM
Otis B.
Jan 22 2008, 04:27 PM
puppylover6464
Jan 22 2008, 04:21 PM
i don't know where you all live, but here at 7 &&  middlebelt, the city inspectors come around to look for violations of city codes ALL the time, especially in the summer.

actually, i think it might just be that my neighbors are crazy and call the city every time someone is in minor violation of any type of anything...but still.

I live at 7 & Middlebelt, and do not see the inspectors you reference. I'm not saying that you are lying, but why haven't these inspectors cracked down on my neighbor who has had his stupid trailer parked next to my house for 3 years?! :angry:

Go into the city office building a file a complaint. My neighbor had a industrial backhoe in his backyard for the summer, I complained and it was taken care of. You can't just sit and wait for an inspector to drive by, go in and fill out a complaint.

Part of the problem is that the neighbor isn't quite, how should I put it -- mentally stable. I'm afraid of the ramifications were he to find out that I filed the complaint.
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Bill Williamson
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livoniarocks
Jan 22 2008, 02:49 PM
BrokenRhino
Jan 22 2008, 01:55 PM


-A downtown. No, Plymouth road is not a downtown. I know it is a pie in the sky idea but would give this city a draw and an identity.


Where would you put a downtown? we are 98% developed.

I'm reading of some thoughts such as "downtown" walking to shops, and
identity. Plymouth, Northville and Dearborn have downtown districts
which are a lot older than the 50 years Livonia has been a City. Novi is
spending a ton of money to create a downtown district. And it will always
feel sterile and plastic like a Hollywood movie set.
-
Real downtown districts were in place long before the interstates bypassed
the cities. Livonia is south of the Grand River route to Brighton and Lansing.
Plymouth Rd was probably the closest thing we had to a traditional Downtown
setting. Traffic flowed thru from Detroit to Ann Arbor before I-96.
-
Most "downtown areas have a small theater, a bar or two, a good restaurant,
hardware store, 5/10 (an old version of a dollar store), Cunningham's with a
lunch counter. Yep even in the old days there seemed to be a drugstore on
each corner. But, most importantly real downtowns have parking on the street. Remember when you could park at the curb right in from of the corner bakery.
Is there even one street in Livonia which still allows for parking in front of a
store? I can't think of one. Woodward Ave near 14 mile maintains street parking. That's a lot busier than Plymouth Rd. and Hubbard.
-
Livonia forces us to park in a lot by the store you are shopping at. Mini malls,
strip malls and Mega Malls, they all do the same thing. Get you in then out.
Gotta open up that free parking space for the next person.
-
Since we don't have a central area full of diverse services and park like settings,
we need to make it easy for people to traverse from one pocket of services to
another, by bike or foot. One example would be to construct a wide pedestrian
bridge over Farmington Rd. at Lyndon. I don't mean the cheap chain link type
but concrete styles like what you see in college towns.
-
I can't think of one reason why making it easier to walk or ride a bike from all
those homes on the east side of Farmington Rd. to Ford field, the YMCA, Eddie
Edgar, Stymelski Park etc. is bad. The Silver Village folks could easily cross to
the east and stroll to the Civic library, the little restaurant at the corner of 5 mile
or listen to the concerts by City Hall in the summer. Another pedestrian bridge
over 5 mile near Hubbard would make it easier to get a Dairy Barn ice cream
after working out at the rec. center. Designate a bike lane along Hubbard from
5 mile north to a pedestrian bridge over 6 mile to Rotary Park.
-
A better Livonia, Make it pedestrian friendly and a cyclist paradise.
Detroit is doing this with its river walk.
Chicago is pushing to be bicyclist friendly.
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Summertime
Advanced Member
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Don't you think that commercial businesses should also take care of their places of business. Has anyone seen that building on Farmington Road just north of 5 mile? I think it was a dance studio, what has happened to it? It looked like someone was working on it and just stopped. Now it looks like a crack house. Does anyone know what is going on there? No one has worked on it for months now.
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Major Card Player
Advanced Member
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To me, Livonia is beginning to look more and more like Warren. If you drive thru Warren, you see half empty strip malls everywhere, drug and party stores on every corner, lots of drive-thrus, and lots of empty commerical bldgs.

This is what Livonia is becoming. I think this council is doing nothing to discourage that and lots to encourage it. I recognize the value of bringing additional businesses to our aging city, but all these strip malls and walgreens are really changing the face of the city, IMO.

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livoniarocks
Veteran
Major Card Player
Jan 24 2008, 02:07 PM
To me, Livonia is beginning to look more and more like Warren. If you drive thru Warren, you see half empty strip malls everywhere, drug and party stores on every corner, lots of drive-thrus, and lots of empty commerical bldgs.

This is what Livonia is becoming. I think this council is doing nothing to discourage that and lots to encourage it. I recognize the value of bringing additional businesses to our aging city, but all these strip malls and walgreens are really changing the face of the city, IMO.

Well then what would you like the Council to do?
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