Hello,

Welcome to 2023! I’m Adam Tauno Williams, and the current chair of the board of the Highland Park Neighborhood Association (HPNA). The last few years have been challenging for everyone in different ways; including our small all-volunteer neighborhood association. I’m am grateful for all my fellow board members and volunteers who stuck it out. Today, this new year feels to me like a time of returning, of coming back. In that spirit I hope you will indulge me for a little bit of a retrospective before some news about what we, as a neighborhood, are looking toward in 2023.

After roughly a decade without an active association HPNA came back online in 2019; with our first board meeting held that May. There were aspirations! We had some really great conversations, and some well attended meetings.

For those who attended I want you to know those conversations have not been forgotten, I still have photos of our whiteboard. We will be coming back to some of these priorities in the next paragraphs.

Priorities white board — Our first meeting’s white board of priorities

Then, of course, the biggest event to happen was the COVID-19 pandemic. None of that was what anyone expected. The canceled meetings and events were discouraging. From aspiration to pause.

Yet, things still happened during the pandemic years.

One of the topics which came up early and often in our 2018/2019 conversations was the preservation of The Gulch. Long time residents are undoubtedly familiar with this area: the ravine between Hubert St and Cedar St which runs from College Age to the end Carrier Creek Blvd. For newer residents I recommend you check it out; there is a quasi-official path [Carrier Creek Trail] which runs east from Union Ave to Carrier Creek Blvd. Especially during wild flower season this is a beautiful area.

The majority of the parcels which make up The Gulch have long been owned by the Kent County Drain Commission - and while challenging to develop due to the topography and wetlands - their future was uncertain. Then in 2021 a deal was completed to sell these properties to the City of Grand Rapids Parks Department. While The Gulch is not yet a park that future seems nearly certain. With the Parks Department’s acquisition of this property ~10% of the Highland park neighborhood is park land; not many neighborhoods can say that! 😎

A map of The Gulch parcels sold to the Grand Rapids’ Parks Department

A new Master Plan for Highland Park (the park) was also developed in 2021.

The new plan addresses both the need for expanded recreational opportunities and the neighborhood’s concerns about accessibility and safety. Envisioned in the new plan are lighted pedestrian paths connecting College Ave to Grand Ave as well as to the park’s amenities area. It leaves intact the natural area along Coldbrook Creek which is a favorite place of many residents.

A tip for newer residents: the slope in the north east corner of the hill is an excellent sledding hill. The top of this hill is accessible from a path you can find on the south side of Lydia St, across from Benson Ave.

In 2021 - 2022 the Association partnered with Caroline Cook (Grand Rapids Running Tours) and the Grand Rapids’ Neighborhood Match Fund to produce a 50 (fifty) minute documentary on the history of the neighborhood: The Story of Highland Park Neighborhood. As the pandemic faded we were able to screen it on June 4th (2022) in the Emerald Flats Auditorium. You can view this documentary online @ https://vimeo.com/732768043

2022 also saw the installation of the Boulder Wall in Highland Park; a collaboration between the Parts Department and the Grand Rapids Boulder Project. This collaboration created a one-of-a-kind amenity which was also an Art Prize entry.

Bouldering Wall — The bouldering wall in Highland Park

In the near future Highland Park will see a variety of improvements to the south half of the park.

Two courts suitable for bike polo will be added to the park; these courts are also suitable for other activities.
The parking lot will be reconstructed to accommodate 46 parking spaces and 8 handicapped accessible spaces.
Improvements to sidewalks and paths.

Some types of improvements in which people have expressed interest - most notably a pavilion which can be reserved for events - are challenging to fund due to requirements that the space have handicapped accessible restrooms. Without these facilities the park does not qualify for the related grants. Both the Association and the Parks Department are looking forward to a future renovation or reconstruction of the existing facilities in order to be meet those requirements.

While all these big items are important and exciting there have also been numerous smaller tasks and improvements. Such as the installation of a dog poop bag dispenser in Highland Park, trash cans at bus stops, etc... each may be easy to overlook, yet each one improves the neighborhood. And all of them are thanks to a neighbor’s effort and time. If I attempted to name the names I would miss someone, so I won’t do that. 🙂

Now the big question: what’s next? This is a topic the HPNA board is currently discussing. What should our near, medium, and long term goals be? And what are the best approaches to achieving them? So much of what was on that whiteboard in 2019 still pertains. No doubt there are new ideas and new concerns.

For HPNA itself there are board elections; we will have seven board positions elected this fall [nominations open this summer]. We also have a variety of subcommittees open for volunteers: Arts, Mobility, Outreach, Parks, and Quality-of-Life. As a young organization the agendas are very open, so if you have a passion for a subject there are a variety of ways to help us bring great things to the neighborhood. Arts, gardening, cycling, running, water, sustainability, architecture, whatever your passion we need and want your input.

As a neighborhood in Grand Rapids we also face the same challenges as our city; two of those are continuously rising housing costs and accommodating growth. The year 2022 goes into history as the all time high water mark for real-estate investment within the city. 2023 looks like it will not be slowing down. This year the city will begin in earnest the process of updating The Master Plan - a document which will guide the city’s development for the next decade [and possibly longer]. As a neighborhood this is an opportunity to imagine our future and began to lay out the steps to get to that future. I understand that change - or even talk of change - can produce anxiety, yet we should not miss this opportunity to help set the agenda. One of my own guiding principles is best captured in the quote from JRR Tolkein concerning the truth about fences: “The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.” We should be the strongest voice for how our neighborhood will change.

While The Master Plan is important it is also a large long-term process and document. More immediately the neighborhood has a new and unique topic to consider: what, if anything, happens at 908 Union Ave N. When development happens the typical process is that a developer buys a property, develops a plan, and then comes to a neighborhood and asks: “How do you feel about what we are going to do?” That process can feel disingenuous... because it is; the question is principally a political performance. With 908 Union - the largest vacant area in the neighborhood - we’ve been asked to participate in an iterative process along side an expert on what is fiscally possible. Then if we - the neighborhood - come together on what we’d like to see that would be used as the template for possible future development. This is a significant departure from the norm. Site layout, type [apartments vs. townhomes], architecture, ... everything is on the table.

Personally I’d love to have sidewalks on Union. A path from Union to Benson - for access to the park from north, avoiding most of Lydia St hill - is my "fantasy map. But that’s just me, what would you like to see? I’d love to hear it. From making an argument for park investments in The Gulch, to supporting neighborhood retail, even helping out the school district (GRPS), this is an enormous and unique opportunity.

There is so much coming in 2023. Our Art subcommittee expects to produce their first project! I hope you will participate along side us in whatever capacity works for you. We have monthly board meetings at Emerald Flats as well as several planned events. You can reach HPNA at hpnagr@gmail.com or (616) 259-4421‬. Check out our website for updates and agendas.

Thanks, I hope to see you - IRL! - in 2023.

Adam Tauno Williams