,MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Robert Dowling, Orange Community Housing Corporation
Mark Chilton, EmPOWERment, Inc.
SUBJECT: Information Report: Proposed Project in the Sykes Street Area
DATE: January 8, 2001
The purpose of this report is to inform the Council of discussions among community groups concerning a proposed project in the Sykes Street area of the Northside community. Please see Attachment 1 for a map of the proposed area.
In response to a request from the Police Department, on February 28, 2000 the Council authorized the use of Community Development funds to acquire a vacant house located at 501 Sykes Street in the Northside neighborhood. At that time, the Council stipulated that the property be put in the Land Trust.
In November, the Town purchased this property. Discussions began among representatives of the Town, the Orange Community Housing Corporation, the Community Land Trust in Orange County and EmPOWERment about renovating and selling the property to a lower income household. During these discussions, it was suggested that a comprehensive approach be considered for improving the Sykes Street area.
Several efforts have begun to make improvements in this area. In addition to the house purchased by the Town on Sykes Street, in October EmPOWERment entered into a contract with the owner of 613 Sykes Street to purchase the property. EmPOWERment will renovate and either sell the property to a lower income first time homebuyer or maintain it as a rental property for a lower income household. In addition, in1998 EmPOWERment also acquired, renovated and sold a house located at 405 Sykes Street to a first time homebuyer.
We believe that it would be desirable for the Orange Community Housing Corporation, the Community Land Trust in Orange County, EmPOWERment, Inc., the University of North Carolina Department of City and Regional Planning and the Town to form a partnership to develop an action strategy for the Sykes Street neighborhood. The action strategy would include a comprehensive vision for making improvements to this section of the Northside neighborhood. Dr. William Rohe of the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning has offered resources to help develop the action strategy.
The goals of the action strategy should be: (1) to develop a comprehensive approach to revitalize the Northside neighborhood; and (2) to establish recommendations to improve the quality of housing and increase public safety in the Sykes Street area.
It would be desireable to begin the first phase of developing the action strategy in January. During the spring semester, a group of graduate students enrolled in a course to assist with this project would talk to the residents of the neighborhood to identify concerns, gather data and interview other potential stakeholders that could be affected by this action strategy. Other stakeholders would include representatives from nearby churches and property owners. The students would also draw conclusions from the data collected and provide recommendations for how to proceed. We anticipate that the students would develop a survey instrument in early January and begin interviewing stakeholders in late January. We have also discussed the possibility of organizing a community meeting to develop a vision for the neighborhood.
The second phase of the action strategy would be to use the data to develop a comprehensive approach to revitalize the neighborhood. This could include acquisition and renovation of other properties and creating homeownership opportunities for lower income households.
We expect that the students would be able to complete the strategy by May 1, 2001. The action strategy would be presented to the residents and the Council.
DISCUSSION
This process could complement the Town’s and EmPOWERment’s current efforts to revitalize the Northside neighborhood. The process could also provide an opportunity to introduce the Land Trust to the Northside neighborhood and demonstrate how the model can preserve housing affordability in perpetuity.
NEXT STEPS
1. Map of Sykes Street Study Area