STEERING COMMITTEE #2July 12, 2019

1. Progress Update

2. Website/Logo/Report Template

3. Existing Conditions Review/Confirmation

4. Community Engagement Plan

5. Upcoming/Proposed Projects Verification

6. Vision/Goals

Agenda

2

1. Kick Off

2. Walking Audit

3. Windshield Survey

4. Stakeholder Interviews

5. Existing Conditions

6. Previous Plans

6. Community Engagement Plan

7. Proposed and Upcoming Projects

8. Goals/Vision

Progress Update

3

Review

4

7

Logo

9

Template

10

Website

11

https://highlandtransformationplan.wordpress.com

Previous Plans

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14

Previous Plans

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Neighborhood Profile

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In Highland…

Neighborhood Profile

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African-Americans form a large majority

Household incomes are concentrated below $15k

Neighborhood Profile

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Housing Profile

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Housing Profile

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2/3 of renters pay less than $400 per month

Highland Spartanburg

Housing Profile

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2/3 of living units are multifamily

Owner-Occupied housing is in the best condition

Zoning

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Building Condition

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½ of property with structures is in good condition

Building Tenure

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More than 2/5 of land is undeveloped or contains a vacant structure

More than 1/3 of vacant structures are in poor or worse condition

Environmental

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Fair Forrest Creek originates about three miles northwest of Highland

Residential portions of Highland range from 755 ft. to 680 ft.

Confirmation

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Please confirm the validity of some of the existing condition data:

• Demographics• Housing• Existing Land Use• Building Conditions• Building Tenure

Community Engagement Plan

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The community engagement process will…

….include meetings with the steering committee, one on one stakeholder engagement and a series of public meetings.

…focus on creating opportunities where residents and stakeholders can obtain relevant information about the planning process and give meaningful feedback and input.

…ensure that residents values and opinions are heard and implemented into the planning process and final planning document.

Outreach Strategies

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Engagement Plan

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Public Meeting #1• Identify opportunities and challenges• Establish vision• Hybrid open house / vision session• Activities for children

Public Meeting #2• Confirm direction of initial

recommendations, respond to suggested solutions

• Hybrid open house / guided charette

Public Meeting #3• Verification of recommendations• Set priorities for implementation• Open house

Other• Highland

Neighborhood Reunion (9/21/19)

• National Night Out (8/6/19)

Engagement Implementation

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Possible Locations• Bethlehem Community Center• Macedonia Baptist Church• Thornton Activity Center

Scheduling• Outreach material distributed two weeks in advance• Tues. or Thurs. (6:30 – 8:30 PM)• Saturday (9 – 12 PM)

Food• Catering can attract attendees• Local vendors are preferred

Childcare• Childcare is necessary to ensure families are present• Partnerships could provide volunteers

Upcoming/Proposed

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Proposed Public Projects1. Proposed bike/ped trail along S Forrest Street2. Redevelopment of 555 John B White Sr. Blvd3. Traffic Calming on Norris Street

Proposed Development Projects1. Redevelopment of Norris Ridge Apartments2. Redevelopment of Prince Hall Apartments3. Grain District Redevelopment4. Expansion of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church

Under Construction Projects1. Regenesis redevelopment at 412 and 414 Highland

Avenue

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SWOT

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Strengths Weaknesses

ThreatsOpportunities

• Community spirit/people• Momentum• Anchor institutions• History, authenticity• Location• Meeting Street Academy• Farmers market

• Poverty• Internal crime• Perception• Limited resident engagement• Fragmentation of neighborhood

identity

• Buy in from stakeholders• Spartanburg growth and new housing• Knowledge building• Stewart Park• Development without displacement• Funding• Surrounding colleges• Opportunity zone• Food programs

• Uniform commercial uses/businesses• Displacement• Inability to gather city-wide support• Norris Ridge ownership• Housing market• Neighborhood competition (funding)• Transient residents

Vision Statement Examples

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“To increase the health, safety and public welfare of the community. This includes physicalhealth as well as fiscal health with the desire to spark economic development and revitalizethe neighborhood.”

- Highland Neighborhood Clemson Study (2017)

“To stop blight in underserved and neglected neighborhoods and to bring housingredevelopment efforts that will ultimately bring back new investments.”

- Five Year Consolidated Plan (2015)

“This Downtown Master Plan, inspired by visionary leadership and girded by recent investmentand success, serves to weave the basic assets of the City into a tightly-knit tapestry.”

- Downtown Masterplan (2007)

“Dallas Highway will be a safe, pleasant, pedestrian and bike-friendly corridor that seamlesslyconnects the North Side’s parks, schools, churches, businesses, and residents to DowntownDouglasville, serving as a gateway that establishes the community as a unified ‘downtownneighborhood.’”

- Dallas Highway LCI (2019)

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Upcoming Dates

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1. Public Meeting #1 – 8/8/2019

2. Steering Committee Meeting #3 – 9/20/19

3. Public Meeting #2 – 10/17/19

Next Steps

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1. Public Meeting #1

2. Commercial Market Analysis

3. Residential Market Analysis

4. Economic Analysis Projection

5. Decision Making Matrix