ARTICLE
As the City of Temple continues to implement its new Strategic Plan, several departments are moving forward in collaborating with the community on the revitalization of 18 neighborhood districts throughout the city. The Neighborhood Planning and Neighborhood Services divisions recently launched the “Love Where You Live” initiative, which will create neighborhood plans to drive future reinvestment and redevelopment efforts. Working alongside residents in each district, the City’s mission is to identify neighborhood concerns, values, vision and goals. Through this process, the City will develop long range plans for each Neighborhood Planning District to include: • City Capital Improvement Projects • Private investment and economic development opportunities • Community Development Block Grant projects A strong emphasis will be placed on improving the quality of life in each neighborhood while increasing access to affordable housing. A recent outreach event in the Crestview District drew more than 100 people to start work on their neighborhood plan. Residents in the Ferguson Park District completed work on their neighborhood plan earlier this year, with identified projects already being funded and designed by the City of Temple. The creation of each neighborhood plan will follow the same process: •Organize - Identify the district boundaries, learn the written history, and recognize special neighborhood characteristics. Identify and connect with neighborhood champions. • Learn – Learn about the neighborhood through field study, neighborhood trends research, resident surveys, workshops, and stakeholder discussion. This is a time to understand existing conditions, identify what makes the neighborhood great, and learn about the wants and wishes of those living there. • Create - Interpret and summarize the information gathered (both researched and community input) to identify the neighborhood issues and propose viable strategies to address each one. Start to create the plan document. • Finalize - Create the plan document to be clear and concise, utilizing lots of visuals to articulate the data and the community input. Incorporate pictures of the planning process, the current neighborhood, and designs for potential projects. • Implement – Neighborhood plan is ready for all residents! A neighborhood plan webpage will be created for easy access to program development activities, updates on capital improvement projects, and to offer a forum for continued dialogue. A formal neighborhood association will also be organized, so the community will have the opportunity to stay involved. The City plans on creating one neighborhood plan per quarter over the next four years. For more information on the “Love Where You Live” initiative, visit www.templetx.gov/lovewhereyoulive.