State Planning Association Honors Mayor Joines and Planning Staff

Planning - Sept. 27, 2007
Contact: Judy Hunt, 727-2087

Mayor Allen Joines and the City-County Planning Board will be honored Friday, Sept. 28, by the North Carolina chapter of the American Planning Association. Mayor Joines will receive an award for outstanding leadership by an elected official. The board will receive the Community Development Award for "Revitalizing Urban Commercial Areas," a report adopted and implemented to address the decline in inner-city commercial areas.

The awards will be presented during the 2007 Marvin Collins Planning Awards Ceremony in Chapel Hill on September 28, 2007.

Joines is being recognized for his leadership in developing partnerships and consensus among diverse elements of the community, which has transformed the economy, the social fabric, and the livability of the city.

The Community Development Award recognizes programs that exemplify outstanding planning and achievement in serving low-income or disadvantaged communities.

"Revitalizing Urban Commercial Areas" was written to address declining urban commercial districts identified in the Legacy development guide for Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. The report contains strategies and proposed regulatory changes to address specific issues pertaining to these areas about land-use, public facilities, appearance and crime.

Along the way, the staff solicited input from 21 outside organizations interested in the subject. Planning then partnered with the Center for Community Safety at Winston-Salem State University to determine the best use of $1.5 million the City Council allocated for these commercial areas.

Coordinators for 12 areas found to be in serious decline submitted proposals for grants and low-interest loans to make improvements. Based on the proposals, the Waughtown Street/Thomasville Road area received full-funding of $674,000 for improvements. The Washington Park commercial district received $413,000 and north Liberty Street received $408,000.

Planning and the city Development Department are working with these areas on specific improvement projects to ensure they conform to the recommendation in the report. To assist them, the Planning staff also wrote the "Manual for Revitalizing Urban Commercial Areas."

Judy Hunt served as the lead planner in the effort, assisted by Margaret Bessette, Marco Andrade and Jesse Beckom. Deputy City Manager Derwick Paige and John Allen in Development are helping implement the program.