Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

multi-stakeholder effort composed of communityinterests and government agencies. According to RPA’sassociate planner for community development,Nicolas Ronderos, the Working Group represented atransition from a strict TOD perspective (thinkingabout and planning for the subway), to a greater focuson the Second Avenue Corridor with its physicaldesign and traffic flow, specifically as a means tomaximize economic opportunity while limitinggentrification and displacement.A community design workshop hosted by the Regional Plan Association’sEast Harlem Community Link Initiative on May 18, 2002. (Source: RegionalPlan Association).The Initiative then focused on two research efforts: ALand Use Field Survey and a Zoning Analysis. TheZoning Analysis dealt with mid-2003 zoning changes,where much of the East Harlem community wasrezoned for buildings of greater height (12-stories, ascompared to the four-stories permitted by the earlierzoning) to increase density opportunities. In response,the analysis forecast the types of buildings whichmight be possible under the new zoning. Thevisualizations triggered concerns among WorkingGroup members of displacement, gentrification, andother negative changes on the existing community.They requested that RPA identify alternatives whichmight diminish the negative impacts of the zoningchanges on existing residents and businesses. Thesealternatives would address affordable housing, urbandesign, and streetscape.Upon review of alternatives developed by RPA asrequested, the Working Group decided to prioritizenew streetscape opportunities, requesting aStreetscape Plan for Second Avenue. A strategy fordeveloping and implementing a Streetscape Plan,based on Working Group suggestions and the 2002Community Design Workshop, was approved inMarch 2004. Next, RPA conducted an inclusivesurvey of 100 Harlem business owners andemployees (45 were Spanish-speakers and weresurveyed in Spanish) to help identify whichstreetscape elements would be most beneficial to theeconomic health of these businesses. The surveyedbusinesses and the Working Group viewed thestreetscape improvements specifically as a means toanticipate and avoid displacement, improve businessopportunities and business revenues, and spur localjob creation.As a result, Community Board 11 has proposed tofund some of the Streetscape Plan’s proposedimprovements in its Fiscal Year 2006 budget. Aproposal for longer-term investments has beendrafted and will be presented to city and stateagencies in 2005. The Regional Plan Associationplans to build on these successes to developcommunity consensus for higher-density housingthat includes a greatly expanded stock of affordablehousing for community residents.OaklandIn Oakland, The Unity Council has pursued twoapproaches to avoid displacement and ensure thatpopulations at risk have the opportunity and choiceto remain in a gentrifying neighborhood. The first issubsidy, using government and foundation dollars tomake up the gap between resident or small businessincomes and growing market rate expenses (e.g.,affordable housing). The second is economicopportunity, where residents and businesses are giventhe means to see their incomes rise with the value ofthe area. This profile focuses on the economicopportunity approach.Fruitvale Transit Village’s pedestrian plaza was anearly community priority. Community memberswanted a safe and easy connection from InternationalBoulevard to the BART station. First, with enhancedlocal access to the station, Fruitvale residents wouldhave better access to jobs outside of theirneighborhood resulting in a greater number andrange of job opportunities and increased personalincomes. Local businesses would also benefit fromthe connection, as commuters could be drawn totheir shops and increase their revenue potential.Furthermore, local businesses can now access publicand private dollars to improve the appearance oftheir buildings through the Fruitvale Main StreetProgram. The program is a comprehensivecommercial district revitalization project focused onInternational Boulevard and the area surrounding theFruitvale Village.REGIONAL OPPORTUNITYPart III: Section 3: Connecting to Regional Opportunity 104