Imagine a world where the dream of owning a home, once a cornerstone of the American Dream, is slipping away. Today, many families find themselves caught in a cycle where the opportunity to build wealth for future generations is disappearing right before our eyes. It's a troubling trend that begs the question: Are we making the American Dream impossible for the next generation?
Today’s guest on The Bottom-Up Revolution podcast is Jenifer Acosta, a community revitalizer and incremental developer working in the Tri-Cities region of Michigan, near the shores of Lake Huron. Her focus is on adaptive reuse projects—taking historic structures like old bank and newspaper buildings and turning them into updated housing and commercial spaces. She finds that sweet spot between preserving history while also modernizing and allowing these old buildings to take on new life so they can last another hundred years, even as the needs of a community change.
William Zank has a conversation with Jenifer Acosta, founder and President of Jenifer Acosta Development. Building dynamic communities and creating a sense of place are just two of Jen’s favorite things. Combine them and add a dash of determination, and you have one of the region’s most sought-after “matchmakers” in real estate.
Downtown Restaurant Investments, Jenifer Acosta Development and Mission Partners are launching a new beer garden and food truck park called Drift Shoreside Beer Garden located at 1019 N. Water St. in Bay City.
You know your downtown is hiding them everywhere. No need to be ashamed. Mine is too. It can be hard enough to get an owner to make the windows look simply presentable from the street view and here I am asking you to do more.
It’s time to get serious about the levels above your Main Street.
On the job, Acosta says opening doors for people is her responsibility.
“It may be a door of a vacant historic building that becomes their home or the space for their business to grow into,” she stated. “I envision new life for properties, finance the reinvestment, collaborate with partners, project manage construction, and stabilize properties as a developer. As a commercial agent, I share my expertise with property owners, investors, and businesses in finding places to prosper.”
There’s a sense of despair with vacant properties. We stare at them when they first wind up empty. Hoping someone comes along. Daydreaming of what it might be. As time goes on we find ourselves ignoring more and daydreaming less. People grumble that some properties are cursed or that despite the location, nothing survives there. In my small rustbelt hometown, vacant buildings litter the downtown, dominate the neighborhood business districts, and speckle the hundred-year-old neighborhoods.
Real estate deals can be a lot like relationships. Being that it’s love month here at Proud Places, it is my privilege to give you advice as your matchmaker. Like any relationship, knowing where you stand and what you want is the foundation of good relationship decision making. Are you interested in a long-term investment or short-term? Is immediate cash flow your goal or investing for retirement? The great thing about real estate investing is you don’t have to have one strategy or one property; it’s a great way for happily married people like myself to play the field
Creating spaces and places for people is my passion. From creating beautiful downtown living spaces to the storefronts and offices where their businesses can flourish, being a developer is all about making a positive impact for others. Development can be a robust investment with a community impact return that is deeply satisfying as well as a financial return for your livelihood.
“Charity feeds a person who is hungry. Philanthropy is meant to go upstream and innovate.”
-Helen Davis Johnson
President, Michigan Municipal League Foundation
This comment from Helen is resonating with me now more than ever. This year has turned most communities upside down. Small business owners have taken on grants and public financing, a first for many. Local foundations in communities have stepped up to help provide relief which I am in awe of their generosity. But how does capital move through these layers in our places and how should they participate?
