Keeping The Grandmont Rosedale Neighborhoods Vibrant

As we continue our look at efforts to control blight across the area, a non-profit group is taking the lead in northwest Detroit.

The Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation buys homes out of foreclosure, then renovates and sells the homes.

Sean Kvoriak is a toddler on the go. He’s growing up in Detroit’s North Rosedale Park—a neighborhood his parents fell in love with when searching for a home.

“It just felt right, it felt like a good place to call home,”  Joe Kvoriak told Detroit 2020.

Joe and Keara purchased their house from the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation.

The non-profit organization completely renovated the 2-story home after buying it out of foreclosure.

“We fell in love with the house as soon as we saw it. It’s gorgeous, everything had been re-done,” Joe said.

Tom Goddeeris is the Executive Director of the GRDC.

“Even though we can’t address every vacant house in the neighborhood, by the doing the numbers that we’re doing right now, we can impact the market,” said Goddeeris.

Over the past 18 months, the GRDC has sold 16 houses with four more sales pending.

A Detroit firefighter is buying this brick home on Rosemont. It has a fireplace, hard wood floors throughout, three bedrooms and a brand new kitchen. And it’s on a tree-lined street– free of blight.

This striking castle-like home is the non-profit’s most recent purchase.

It needs plenty of work on the inside but when complete–the 4 bedroom, 24-hundred square foot home is going to be a great buy for someone.

“A house like this might have sold. I think, easily for $300,000 at that time. Now, when it’s fully renovated, in today’s market, it probably won’t even be half that price,” Godderris said.

Which means someone is going to get great value with their purchase.

Hubert Sawyer III grew up in the neighborhood.

He’s married now—and has come back—this time as a homeowner—thanks to $10,000 in down-payment assistance from the GRDC.

“I said ‘let’s look into this.’ We went on the website and saw a house and literally within a day we were looking at the house on Sunday and getting in the process of actually moving on it,” Sawyer said.

Hubert and his wife have only been moved in for a few months but it already feels like home.

“I know this neighborhood. I know how active the neighbors are, just even on both sides of us, they’re great. And we’re really happy to know we have neighbors who have our back.” And really care,” Sawyer said.

Some 5,300 homes make up of the neighborhoods of North Rosedale Park, Rosedale Park, Minock Park, Grandmont, and Grandmont #1. They’re located in northwest Detroit–in the area of the Southfield Freeway and Grand River.

Housing isn’t the only thing the Development Corporation does on behalf of the community but it became a major focus due to the foreclosure crisis.  Residents say it’s making a difference—preserving what makes these neighborhoods—desirable.

“I was very pleased to see how GRDC had evolved, being more integrated and taking a pro-active role on helping, ya know, keep the neighborhood where it needs to be,” Sawyer said.

Tom Goddeeris is one of those residents—and for over 20 years now.

“I think this is a community that can survive, that will survive and continue to be a great place to live for next several generations,” said Goddeeris.

Sean Kvoriak has a lot of growing still ahead of him.

“While we loved our time spent downtown, childless, this is definitely a really great place to settle with a family,” said Keara Kvoriak.

 Click here to go to the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation website.