To guide the planning process and allow for sustained input on the neighborhood’s priority concerns, working groups were formed, focusing on housing, education, employment, and other issues important to residents. WRT collaborated with Monmouth University to draft and administer an extensive needs assessment survey to inform each of these working groups in developing the plan’s goals and strategies. WRT also created a website to be used as a resource and implementation tool in addition to being a repository of information for residents and project stakeholders.
In order to show concrete signs of improvement, several early action “doing while planning” activities and investments were completed, including a Better Block temporary street festival, an expansion of Kula Farm and community garden, and safety upgrades to public housing properties.
After many decades of stalled progress on the West Side, residents are starting to see new housing and retail popping up along the neighborhood’s historic commercial corridor. Momentum is building on the West Side, and residents are poised to capture the benefits of a revitalized community.
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