The University Area CDC is transforming a long-neglected area one block at a time, with new attainable housing, a park and garden, and activities that are bringing neighbors together.
The non-profit agency has an eight-pronged Community Transformation Initiative that is already making a difference, said Executive Director and CEO Sarah Combs. “We are absolutely seeing the transformation, focusing on a specific radius of the community. They see development and art coming in and next thing you know, people are putting up fences and planting flowers.”
The CDC is turning blighted lots into homes, then connecting community members with down payment and mortgage assistance. Each has to sign an agreement that they will not resell the homes for more than 3% above what they paid for them.
Homeowners are more likely to engage than renters, Combs said, so the land banking program has been key to community transformation.
The CDC has acquired 23 properties within a one-mile radius. There are now seven development projects under way, including a cultural heritage center to celebrate the University Area’s diversity.
Among these projects also include:
- Harvest Hope Park, a seven-acre parcel in the heart of the community. Plans include resident-friendly space for community interaction, family time, environmental sustainability, and healthy eating.
- Block by Block, a community development initiative to identify areas needing support and assessments on ways to provide it.
- Land banking, a program to buy up vacant properties in the area and covert them to attainable housing. So far, the CDC has banked 11 properties.
