TOWN NORTH NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN
Town North was
originally identified as a location that could benefit from
neighborhood planning efforts through the Building Equitable
Communities initiative. The 306-acre area is located in Central
Arlington, and is generally bounded by Randol Mill Road to the
north, Collins Street to the east, Sanford Street to the south and
Cooper Street to the west. The City began working with the Town
North neighborhood in the summer of 2008, with residents holding
their first neighborhood meeting on July 31, 2008. These meetings
quickly became monthly. It also quickly became apparent that the
neighborhood could use an action plan to help them focus their
efforts and address key neighborhood concerns.
On November 20, 2008, representatives from the Community Development
and Planning Department introduced the neighborhood planning process
to Town North residents as a next step in the neighborhood’s
progress. The monthly neighborhood meetings continued with attendees
bringing up their concerns and working with the City to identify
possible solutions. Ultimately, the group selected seven goals, with
specific action items for success identified for each goal.
The Neighborhood Action Plan goals include:
-
Address Traffic Concerns and/or Incorporate Aesthetic Methods of
Traffic Control
-
Improve Neighborhood Infrastructure
-
Build on Neighborhood Relations to Ensure a Safe Environment
-
Promote Positive Relationships with City Departments, the
University of Texas at Arlington, Nonprofit Organizations and Local
Businesses
-
Provide Incentives to Reduce Property Code Violations
-
Address Vacant and Blighted Properties
-
Promote Bike Rider Safety
Town North residents began proactively working to address their
goals, even before the completion of their Neighborhood Action Plan. The neighborhood partnered with two classes in the University of
Texas at Arlington School of Urban and Public Affairs to conduct
face-to-face surveys with more than 190 Town North residents. These
surveys helped to accurately assess the neighborhood’s challenges
and assets, and the results were integrated into the plan.
The neighborhood also applied for and received a Neighborhood Matching
Grant for organizational efforts through their Community Watch
Group. This funding helped them establish an official organization,
the Town North Neighbors, select interim officers and host two
events, National Night Out in October 2008 and a spring picnic in
May 2009. Town North Neighbors have gone on to apply for and receive
another Matching Grant to pay for 501(c)3 application fees, so that
the organization can become a registered nonprofit. Most recently,
in coordination with the Community Development and Planning
Department, Town North Neighbors was awarded $100,000 from the
Arlington Tomorrow Foundation to begin constructing sidewalks in the
area to address infrastructure concerns.
Click
here
for a copy of the Town North Neighborhood Plan [
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