Undertake a citywide market analysis and housing plan for the core neighborhoods to help inform housing, development, and neighborhood investment strategies. The nature of the city’s housing market – the strength of its demand, the number and type of households, the financial characteristics of those households – has important effects on the city’s economic health, its fiscal health, and its quality of life for residents. Moreover, the housing market is not a fully independent component of the community’s broader social and economic structure – the implications of neighborhoods in decline are broad.

The 2016 Market Segmentation and Targeted Revitalization plan provided an excellent assessment of the core neighborhoods but that was almost a decade ago. It provides a baseline for comparison purposes and will inform various aspects of the new plan. The following are necessary, in some cases ancillary, components for this effort to be successful.

• Consider restructuring, integrating, and/or streamlining coordination between the Community Development and Housing Department (CD&H) and the Planning and Development Department (P&D) to jointly manage this project.

A detailed market analysis and housing study will require the time and expertise of both departments.  A project that is co-managed will be much more likely to obtain city funding for completion and implementation.

• The Community Development and Housing Department receives an annual allocation of $600,000 from the City Council to carry out neighborhood clean-up activities. For true neighborhood revitalization to occur, this number needs to be substantially increased.

A majority of the $600,000 is dedicated to lawn maintenance and other ‘fixes’ that are closely associated with code enforcement issues; only a small percentage of these funds are actually assigned to significant neighborhood and housing revitalization efforts. This work is necessary but not sufficient to achieve notable improvements in the quality of life in targeted neighborhoods.

The city should collaborate with and support local nonprofit agencies that serve communities in need.  Specifically, a multi-agency approach to address the city’s ongoing permanent supportive housing needs.

• The city should consider expanding upon the Core City Homebuyer Incentive Program with the addition of a city-funded grant program to award up to $10,000 to qualified first-time homeowners to apply toward the acquisition of land for a new home. This will help to incentivize infill development on vacant lots – a necessary component of a healthy neighborhood.

The program currently offers up to $7,500 for acquisition of a house in the Core City. This amount should be assessed to determine if it is actually enough to encourage likely homeowners to invest in the core neighborhoods.