Hazel Park may be small in size at only 2.8 square miles, but it's a city with a large heart.  Residents are primarily hard working, middle-class, patriotic and proud.  They get involved and are active in the community, government, and support the local schools, events and organizations.  The city is comprised mostly of modest single-family residential homes, with a diverse housing stock, and offers tree-lined streets, plenty of neighborhood parks, and recently renovated schools. Hazel Park is also defined by strong faith-based groups and numerous places of worship.

Local businesses also play an important role in the community.  The business district is diverse, from large, global organizations, to the numerous mom-and-pop shops that make up the majority of businesses. Many of which are small, family-run businesses that have been operated by generations of families, and in the community for decades.  These businesses support the local schools, teams, community events, and charities.  It's this unique, small town charm that defines Hazel Park.

Hazel Park Recognized for Neighborhood Improvement Action Plan

The Management Practices Committee is pleased to announce an additional project has been chosen for Askew recognition. This brings the total 2009 projects to twenty-one. The project, entitled “Addressing the Foreclosure Crisis in the City of Hazel Park,” was submitted by Edward Klobucher and Sharon Pinch of Michigan and had as its goal the development of a comprehensive plan to address housing foreclosure in Hazel Park, Michigan. The project summary is as follows: 

Hazel Park, like so many other communities across the United States, has been ravaged by the current housing foreclosure crisis. The associated reduction of property values generated less revenue for Hazel Park’s already financially strapped treasury. Foreclosures have also created a severe blight problem. As a result of the capstone project, a multi-pronged approach called the Neighborhood Improvement Action Plan (NIAP) was developed to address the foreclosure problem. The NIAP consists of four components including 1) utilization of funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Neighborhood Stabilization Program, 2) development of a partnership, “Oak Street,” with the Oakland County Community Development Department to assist current homeowners with keeping and improving their properties, 3) utilization of the HUD Dollar Home Program to acquire foreclosed homes and provide low-cost housing to persons willing to invest sweat equity in repairs, and 4) operations improvement of the City of Hazel Park’s Code Enforcement Department through increased ticketing of violators, as well as inventorying and tagging vacant structures for database accuracy and progress measurement. The strategy outlined in the capstone project is currently being utilized by the City of Hazel Park and has resulted in the demolition or renovation of numerous blighted homes. The City has contracted for the construction of several new homes with funds from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program