Community Development Activities

 “Community economic development is the coordinated, comprehensive, collaborative process to plan and implement the building of capacity and investment of capital in a sustainable community”

In the low and moderate income communities where CEDF operates, traditional financing is often difficult to obtain and private investments are limited. Economic development initiatives are more successful if they are supported by the community and have strong market interest and potential. In order to sustain small businesses and attract private investment to neighborhoods, CEDF awards community development grants to neighborhood organizations to carry out strategic plans and revitalization projects.

Since 1994, CEDF has made over $800,000 in grants to more than 60 neighborhood and merchant organizations. These grants and the technical assistance provided by CEDF’s Community Development team, supported a broad range of activities including commercial district revitalization, commercial and retail market development, business retention and recruitment, real estate feasibility analysis, minority business development, and social entrepreneurship. Our community driven projects have led to new business development, new employment opportunities for local residents, and a new tax base for municipalities. But most important, these projects have led to positive changes in neighborhoods, creating new hope and vision to residents and the business owners who serve them.

In 2005, ten projects were funded, totaling $100,000 in commitments. Following are
some of the projects supported by CEDF.
.

HARTFORD

Several community development projects were completed in Hartford in 2005. Over the past 2 years, CEDF has been fortunate to be the recipient of a grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. With this grant, 12 different projects have been undertaken in conjunction with community organizations of which 6 have been completed. These projects have ranged from strategic planning to marketing initiatives, to commercial revitalization projects and more. CEDF would like to thank the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving for their generous support, without which these initiatives would never have been possible.

Northeast Revitalization Association
Through a collaboration, DF contracted with development consultants to work with the community to develop a formal Implementation Plan. It was presented at a community meeting attended by over 200 residents. The Implementation Plan includes streetscape improvements, gateway development, community cleanup, property assessment, code and zoning issues and more. The City has committed $800,000 for an implementation budget for the first year.


Parkville Business Association
CEDF consultants, with the input of the Business Association, Neighborhood Revitalization Association and the City of Hartford, have developed and submitted the Parkville Municipal Development Application to the State of Connecticut for funding. At this point, $180,000 has been approved. The funding will support the development of Bartholomew Street, currently consisting of a series of unused or blighted industrial buildings. The plan also includes consideration for creating a through-street from Bartholomew Avenue to Flatbush Avenue, accommodating easy access to goods and services to be provided by the Bartholomew industrial complex.

Wethersfield Avenue Coalition / South End Alliance
The South End Alliance (SEA) is a community/business collaborative composed of the South End Neighborhood Revitalization Association, the Franklin Avenue, Wethersfield Avenue, and Maple Avenue Business Associations, community based organizations and residents. The purpose of the SEA is to create an area-wide collaborative structure to more effectively advocate for support and develop community, economic, and quality of life efforts. This grant facilitated the formation of the legal structure of the group and organizational strategic planning. Marketing materials were developed and distributed through the Hartford Business Journal, that promoted the neighborhood and the businesses located in this community. This organization has leveraged $250,000 in State funds for its ongoing efforts, matched with $30,000 from local businesses.

Hartford Tenants Rights Federation / Public Residents Going Places – Metro Shopping Center Project
This shopping plaza was developed to provide a neighborhood owned, eight-store shopping mall, including a grocery store, a public safety office and other specialty retail stores. CEDF also assisted with the development and coordination of a marketing program and provided training and technical assistance in marketing and project management.

Hartford 2000
CEDF was pleased to work cooperatively with Hartford 2000 in serving the various neighborhoods throughout the city of Hartford. Assistance was provided to develop and implement NRZ training programs, collaborate in the implementation of the Statewide Best Practices Town Meeting, and worked with Hartford 2000 who provided citywide services to assist Neighborhood Revitalization Associations to implement strategic plans.

BRIDGEPORT

NEW HAVEN

Upper Chapel Street / Chapel West Special Service District
The Chapel West Special Services organization worked all year on a redevelopment plan for a four to five block area with CEDF’s support. The area just west of downtown and Yale University is a dense residential and commercial area with Chapel Street serving as a lively “main street”. The redevelopment plan prepared by CEDF consultants, looked at the different commercial nodes along this linear strip, including the educational, medical, arts, and residential factors. The condition and use of each building in the district were also compiled. More in-depth study was undertaken by an architectural consultant focusing on specific blighted properties with the eye on redevelopment potential. The outcomes and recommendations proposed by this comprehensive effort will include an economic market analysis, a map showing the boundaries of an expanded district, and a redevelopment plan for selected sites.

Dwight Plaza / Greater Dwight Development Corporation
CEDF has helped the GDDC over the last two years with the redevelopment of the former Taylor garage site at Orchard and Elm. In 2005, the GDDC secured environmental testing and clean-up funds through the Regional Growth Partnership and Empower New Haven. The garage was demolished and the underground tanks are being removed. With CEDF’s support a site portfolio was put together listing the qualities of the site and market characteristics of the location. This glossy folio was mailed to over sixty commercial brokers, chain stores and developers. The ultimate goal is to build a 6,000 sq. ft. retail building which would allow better retail selection for the neighborhood and more development and management revenues for the outstanding GDDC.

Route 34 Planning Initiative / West River Neighborhood Association
The West River Neighborhood abuts the Route 34 corridor to the south. The West River obtained support from CEDF to create a business plan for the group’s involvement in the development of the corridor. Neighborhood meetings were held to solicit community ideas and a detailed work plan was developed, laying out key priorities for the organization. The final business plan presented a detailed description of how a new West River Service Corporation could be established and play a key role in the Route 34 corridor commercial development. Budgets and fund-raising targets were also produced.

Farmers Marker / Grand Avenue Village Association
Fair Haven has had a small farmers market for several years yet the GAVA group wanted to make the market more a neighborhood asset with better marketing and more vendor selection. Working with a local non-profit, City Seed, the market was reborn on the banks of the Quinnipiac River Park with multiple vendors supplying fresh vegetables, breads, and hand made products. JUNTA for Progressive Action recruited several artisans and craft makers who brought their colorful products to the market. CEDF support allowed for greater promotion outside the neighborhood and positioning of the market as a growing community fixture.

STATEWIDE

Pawcatuck is a moderate-income neighborhood situated along the Pawcatuck River, across from Westerly, Rhode Island. In 2004, CEDF funded a neighborhood revitalization plan that focused on the re-use potential of three large factory complexes along the river banks. Completed by early 2005, this plan looked at revitalization strategies and the potential for the mills as well as improvement strategies for the two block commercial district in the downtown. Retail vacancies in the business district as well as several vacant properties were of special concern.

In September of 2005, CEDF approved a second grant to Pawcatuck to put together a Main Street type revitalization program. In this effort the neighborhood will work with town officials and local property owners on redevelopment strategies for several blighted commercial buildings. A main street manager will be hired to help organize the business community and develop a marketing program for the business district. More in-depth assistance will be provided by a CEDF real estate consultant about the financial feasibility of rehabbing certain properties and the financial resources available to local property owners. The Town of Stonington Economic Development Commission and area banks leveraged CEDF’s resources to create an adequate budget for the second phase.

Willimantic Arts Forum
Several groups were interested in pursuing the revitalization of downtown Willimantic using the arts as an economic engine. These organizations made up of individual artists, arts organizations, festival and event sponsors, and a new CDC had many ideas but no consensus on where to start and what to promote. CEDF helped fund a community driven process to bring the arts community together with the business community to look for the middle ground of self-interest around downtown revitalization strategies. A series of community forums were planned and two consultants funded by CEDF were brought in to assist the effort. One of these had led a successful revitalization strategy in a disadvantaged mill town in Vermont. The other had extensive of experience managing an arts organization. The third and final forum (held in January 2006) attracted more than 150 people to a downtown theater. Presentations were made by several key landowners and local officials. Then a forum was opened at which a dynamic audience let loose with a flurry of ideas for community projects, special events, local partnerships, and diverse marketing strategies for downtown.

From this effort a strategic plan will be written and partnerships between groups and the business
community will be forged.