Spotlight Delaware’s Post

Texas Communities Unite for Roof Repairs: Stories of Resilience and Solidarity Across Texas, from the bustling streets of Houston to the historic neighborhoods of San Antonio, communities are demonstrating incredible resilience and solidarity through collaborative roof repair projects. These initiatives not only restore homes but also reinforce the bonds between neighbors, showcasing the true spirit of Texas. In Houston, community efforts post-Hurricane Harvey have been nothing short of inspirational, with volunteers banding together to repair and rebuild. Dallas has seen a surge in local businesses and nonprofits collaborating through the Dallas Roofing Initiative to provide essential services to those in need. Meanwhile, Austin's commitment to sustainable living is highlighted by its push for eco-friendly roofing solutions, and San Antonio's dedication to preserving its rich cultural heritage is evident in its specialized restoration efforts. These stories highlight the strength and determination of Texan communities to support one another in times of need. They serve as a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together. For more inspiring stories or if you're seeking assistance with roof repairs, visit www.texasroofassistant.com. #CommunityBuilding #RoofRepairs #TexasStrong #SustainableLiving #HistoricPreservation #Resilience #TexasCommunities Join the conversation and share how your community is coming together!

The City of Gainesville - always - does A LOT. We have more plates spinning, more irons in the fire, per capita, than most cities. You could argue (and many do) that we do too much. But every now and again we find ourselves in a position where having all these disparate irons in the fire turns out very, very well for all our neighbors. Let me tell you a quick story, if I might. Last year we entered into agreements to help fund four different affordable housing endeavors totaling more than 200 homes of various styles. We did that with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Most of those units (about 205) are still in progress and I expect they’ll break ground this year, per an update the commission received this past Thursday. Unfortunately, on January 18th we learned that one of the projects, Creekside Commons, has been discontinued by the developer, shelving 12 affordable homes, but freeing-up $600,000 of our ARPA affordable housing commitments. You probably already know that on February 15th we were able to use that money (and some other redirected ARPA funds) to address the crisis in unsheltered folks living on SE 4th Place and create new shelter opportunities with our partners at GRACE Marketplace. That’s one community win that happened because our city works with local developers to develop affordable housing AND because we take lead responsibility for sheltering our chronically homeless sisters and brothers. Part II of this (increasingly complex) story is that there’s another - entirely related - community win that happened because we have a long-standing commitment to a healthy and robust tree canopy in our city. Creekside Commons would have been built on a parcel of about ten acres located just south of NW 39th Avenue along the banks of Hogtown Creek (hence the name.) With the development falling through, the land became available for sale. Our city has a decades-old conversation about placing the land surrounding Hogtown Creek into conservation. Our larger community is committed to conserving natural areas, of course, and there’s always the possibility of creating a connected greenway along the creek (much of which already exists at Loblolly and Ring Parks.) A supporting mechanism for this is the tree mitigation fund, which developers pay into when they take down high-quality existing trees. That fund only has a few potential uses, and one of those uses is purchase of conservation land. I think you can see where this story is headed. Our team was able to negotiate a purchase (below asking price) for the full 9.65 acres and the commission approved the purchase on March 7th. SO … because we “Do too much,” the City of Gainesville was able to turn the potential loss of 12 (yet-to-exist) affordable homes into shelter for 30 folks with no roofs over their heads AND place nearly ten acres of fragile creekside land into permanent conservation. All within 60 days. I think that’s a pretty fine story to tell.

What kinds of projects will the Community Resilience Partnership fund for Maine municipalities? Here's just one example from the City of Lewiston, Maine of how the CRP can help make communities more resilient. Jacqueline Crucet, a neighborhood development planner with Lewiston’s Department of Economic and Community Development spoke with the Press Herald. “Having tree-lined streets is not only beautiful, but cooling and offering habitat to wildlife, as well as shade for pedestrians. We have a lot of pedestrians in our downtown community. The benefits are there. Trees also help with soaking water up, improving our resilience with storms. You just need the right trees in the right places.” (🎁Gift Article --via the The Portland Press Herald) https://loom.ly/EQsbe6w #Maine #Resilience #ClimateResilience #Community #Infrastructure #Grants #Awardees #Mainecommunities #Lewiston #treestreets #trees #CommunityResiliencePartnership #partnership #community #governor #learnmore #communityresilience #resiliencepartnership #communityaction #grantawards #stateofthestate

Will this kind of trend, from both public and private funds, be the solution for #housing woes? From inner cities to suburbs, as well as outer ring communities and second home markets - can all-price-point redevelopment drive the biggest economic and social boon in a hundred years? #infill #realestate #newconstruction #zoning #hardassets https://lnkd.in/gXE2f24Y

Will this kind of trend, from both public and private funds, be the solution for #housing woes? From inner cities to suburbs, as well as outer ring communities and second home markets - can all-price-point redevelopment drive the biggest economic and social boon in a hundred years? #infill #realestate #newconstruction #zoning #hardassets

If the he city is going to hold a meeting concerning thousands of residents… Why not have a notification system that alerts more than just the small group of people who monitor a Facebook page? Why not have notices at each of the main windsor Forest entrances? Why not send out postcards to each of the household? Why not hold it on a Saturday and not a work or school night? Why not hold it in a facility that’s large enough to accommodate the probable turnout if everyone in the Forest receives a notice? Why not hold it far enough in advance that people can schedule? The city has a TV channel. Why not have an electronic and a paper voting system that both informs everyone and allows their input? The prior meeting allowed people to write things down or put stickies on the wall, but that was for a multi district community center. This will be a city facility paid for by tax dollars citizens should have input. There’s a lot of subjects that have not been addressed. The city owns many properties they can accommodate a large group of people. This is a serious long-term and permanent decision. People should be a well informed, it should be a thought out decision and discussions regarding increased traffic, flooding, wildlife, trees, transportation, safety… For example,I still believe that the repair to the former oxidation pond was a poor decision, it cost too much and will involve future taxpayer money to continue to patch it when a new pond would’ve been cheaper and wouldn’t have required revisiting. the 2 1/2 million dollars could’ve gone a long way towards a community center and a new pond would’ve been much cheaper. a pond could’ve been put in for less than a half a million and instead of the 9 million we’ve been told they would have 11 million for a new community center. at one of the meetings we were told they had 5 million for community center and they were going to expand it to other districts to get more money. Now I’ve heard they have 9 million? why not take the 9 million and money from other districts and really put in a first class facility? of course I do not know that these numbers are accurate because we’ve been told different numbers for the community center and we were told 5 million to repair the pond. look up Tribble park on SAGIS / property tax card and the legal description is Oxidation pond. I do not doubt that Kurtis is working hard and all of this is very frustrating to him. But the community center is about the citizens. I believe that a community center in Windsor Forest involves all taxpayers and citizens, especially on the south side. What about Wilshire that has no Center, Paradise Park, Vernon berg , and the many other communities? I’m certain people will come to the facility from other areas besides Windsor forest. Should we change the name to just Windsor if they’re going to cut down the “forest”?

I appreciate initiatives like this that help enhance the quality of our transit stations 🚉 Putting a spotlight on the Chestnut Hill West line in particular is important, especially with fears of the line's closure looming in the not so distant future. #urbanplanning #publictransport

Tuesday Tips! Theme: Voting Sometimes when funding becomes tight, park agencies must become adaptable. Using funding mechanisms that are creative and different to keep providing adequate services are needed. For example, the Puente Hills Habitat Authority has Measure PH on the ballot on the western side of the hills. If this ballot measure is passed, it will create a Community Facilities District that will help fund important ranger services that lead to better emergency response times, faster removal of homeless encampments, more restoration work, and interpretive programs for students. We urge a Yes vote on LA County’s Measure PH. #Parks #Nature #YesonMeasurePH #ParkFunding #Conservation

🏛️ The Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant (OMSRG) is open! The OMSRG is open to communities participating in the Oregon Main Street Network. Grant awards are up to $400,000 in matching funds and may be used to acquire, rehabilitate, and construct buildings on properties in designated downtown areas statewide. Funded projects must facilitate community revitalization that will lead to private investment, job creation or retention, establishing or expanding viable businesses, or creating a stronger tax base. Projects may include façade improvement, accessibility enhancement, basic utilities, second floor renovations and more. Only organizations participating in the Oregon Main Street Network are eligible to apply. Learn More Here!! https://lnkd.in/gKRH55aQ . . . . . #oregonmainstreet #communityrevitalization #grantopportunity #historicpreservation #restoreoregon #reuse #historicpreservation #EconomicDevelopment #historicoregon #urbanrenewal #mainstreet #Oregon #OregonHeritage

Carol Follett, guest writer of Northwest Citizen, published a vision-inducing article illustrating her concerns about what will become of Bellingham with HB 1110 and the removal of zoning restrictions in single-family neighborhoods. The vision she paints isn’t a future that anyone wants. But, she gets at an important point when she says: “As in so many situations today, there is very little discussion of alternatives: we are told we must build up and fill in. If we do not want to do these things, we are accused of taking away farmland, of being selfish and willing to abuse the environment. We are trapped between polarizing arguments. Yet real housing solutions must begin with the idea of healthy, happy homes for communities and children, which is not merely a nice idea to be wedged between the extremes of infill or sprawl.” We can take a balanced approach to growth that doesn’t encroach on farmland and contribute to sprawl nor should it result in the high-rises we see in Vancouver, BC. A primary reason people move to Bellingham is for its natural beauty. Using green building practices and integrating greenway preservation into our plan for growth over the next 20 years is critical for maintaining Bellingham’s identity. There’s no arguing with the fact that we need housing for future social and economic sustainability– and that housing needs to be affordable to all income brackets. To achieve this goal, and maintain Bellingham’s natural beauty, we need to form a collaborative environment where the City, builders, nonprofits and neighborhood associations can work together to develop a future that meets the needs of all stakeholders. Read Carol’s article by following the link: https://lnkd.in/gWDVBB3J . . . #housingforbellingham #comprehensiveplan #bellinghamwa #cityofbellingham