NORTHWOOD RENAISSANCE
CDC
RECEIVES AWARD FROM 1000 FRIENDS OF FLORIDA
Front:
Annetta Jenkins, Senior Program Director, South Florida LISC; Northwood
Renaissance Executive Director Terri Murray; City of West Palm Beach
Mayor Lois J. Frankel.
Back: Northwood Renaissance President Carl A. Flick; 1000 Friends Executive
Director Charles Pattison.
Some
members of the Northwood Citizens Planning Committee:
Steve Alred, Bob Morris, Carl Flick and Joseph Pubillones.
The Northwood
Renaissance Community Development Corporation in West Palm Beach received
a 2005 Community Steward Award from 1000 Friends of Florida, the statewide
nonprofit growth management advocacy group. The award was presented
on June 18 at the inauguration of Northwood Renaissance's Model Block
Phase III.
"Northwood
Renaissance was recognized for its outstanding citizen planning efforts
which have resulted in successful neighborhood revitalization and affordable
housing," says Pattison. "It has worked with area residents
to develop a realistic and workable neighborhood plan and then set about
implementing it," he continues. "This has resulted in impressive,
tangible improvements in a short period of time." Through its Model
Block program, Northwood Renaissance is buying and rehabilitating older
homes, managing streetscape improvements, and creating a mix of housing
types and prices.
"1000
Friends was particularly impressed that this model is already being
successfully replicated in other South Florida communities," notes
Pattison. Belle Glade, Boynton Beach, Riviera Beach, Pompano Beach,
Lake Worth, and the Sistrunk Corridor in Ft. Lauderdale are now using
the Model Block approach.
"The
work of a diverse and committed 14-member Northwood Citizen Planning
Committee (NCPC) is changing the physical appearance of West Palm Beach's
North End for the next century and beyond by creating opportunities
for new mixed-use, commercial and residential development," said
Northwood Renaissance board president and NCPC facilitator Carl A. Flick,
AICP. "The land use changes and new zoning, which incorporates
residential density bonuses, was the first step toward encouraging the
creation of much-needed workforce housing", he added. "Never
doubt that meaningful citizen participation can make a difference."
Northwood
Renaissance was nominated by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation
of South Florida. LISC Senior Program Director Annetta Jenkins notes
that thanks to Northwood Renaissance, "areas with slum landlords,
vacant lots and aging infrastructure are being returned to compact,
walkable, livable neighborhoods."
The Northwood
Neighborhood Plan, based on the principles of smart growth, was adopted
by the City of West Palm Beach in 2003. The first mixed use project,
the Courtyards, has been completed and five others are in the planning
stages. Model Block I has been finished, Model Block II is nearing completion,
and work is about to begin on Model Block III. Through a mixture of
rehabilitation of existing buildings and new infill development, close
to 2,900 new residential units will become available over the coming
three years, including affordable housing.
Sixteen
nominations were submitted for consideration by 1000 Friends in 2005;
four awards are being presented. Award recipients must reflect an innovative
approach resulting in major, tangible accomplishments that can be replicated
elsewhere in Florida. In addition to Northwood Renaissance, two other
groups were selected to receive community steward awards: Apalachicola
Riverkeeper, for its sustained grassroots advocacy for more effective
planning in Franklin County; and the Miami River Commission for its
exceptional leadership in developing and helping to implement the highly-successful
Miami River Corridor Urban Infill Plan. The Collier County Rural Lands
Stewardship Plan, which provides innovative incentives to privatize
the protection of natural and agricultural lands, is receiving the Better
Community Award.
Washington
Mutual is sponsoring the inauguration of Model Block Phase III and a
First-Time Homebuyer Fair. 1000 Friends' 2005 awards program is being
sponsored by the law firms of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart and Shipley
and Cheffy Passidomo Wilson & Johnson, LLP, as well as the Florida
Home Builders Association. A statewide nonprofit organization, 1000
Friends was founded in 1986 to serve as Florida's growth management
watchdog. It has been presenting awards for innovative growth management
efforts since 1990.
