Signature Projects Portfolio
Palm Beach County LISC embarked on a bold new strategy three years ago to bring local activity to scale. We introduced our Signature Projects Portfolio concept, comprehensive community development of scale and impact, utilizing a project team approach, in 2001. Along with the assistance of our partners, we are starting to realize the fruit of those endeavors. To date, Palm Beach County LISC has facilitated the creation and development of more than 2,300 homes and 118,000 square feet of commercial/retail space in the distressed and neglected neighborhoods of Palm Beach County. In 2002, we trained more than 375 TANF-eligible residents, created 37 new businesses and created or are creating more than 200 new jobs. Our pipeline of new homes will exceed 600, with 87 completed.
We have expanded our AmeriCorps Program, an integral part of our strategy. We continue to have, arguably, the best LISC AmeriCorps Program in the country. We added several new partners in 2002: Pearl City Blue Ribbon Committee, Community Financing Consortium, Inc., RM Lee CDC, Pahokee Housing Authority, Delray Beach Housing Authority, Broward Housing Authority, City of Pompano Beach, City of Belle Glade, Northwest Community Development Partnership, Inc., and Palm Beach County Housing Authority. Two of our partners, with technical assistance from LISC, won national grant awards from the US Dept. of HHS, Office of Community Services—Pleasant City Faith Based Initiatives, Inc., and Northwest Riviera Beach CRC—in furtherance of the Blue Heron Boulevard Commercial Corridor Initiative and the Dixie Highway Commercial Corridor Initiative. Both will result in significant commercial redevelopment bringing needed shops, jobs and services to the neighborhoods where we have several housing projects underway. The Pleasant City FBI, Inc.’s, Beacon Center opened in the new Pleasant City Elementary School in August 2002. The Northwood 25th Street Mixed Use Project assisted by LISC and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta’s EDGE Grant, is under construction. Land assembly for the Northwood BDC 24th Street Mixed Use Project is 90% complete. The 34th Street Model Block Project, a LISC National Best Practice Project, is complete and sold. Phoenix Place is under construction.
Our neighborhood capacity building efforts are underway. The Poinciana Heights Master Plan is complete. We are continuing the community organizing and building in Boca Raton and expect to have a new CDC formed in Pearl City in early 2003.
On the policy front, Palm Beach County LISC took a leadership role in stopping the raid on Sadowski funds, a major source for housing, in spring 2002. We supported 1000 Friends of Florida through the Florida Community Development Policy Network. We helped to convene the LISC Florida Leadership and Policy Summit in November 2002. We successfully implemented and completed our Florida Toolkit Grant for Economic Development and are in dialogue for new funding for an Individual Development Account Program.
Our local office continues to take a leadership role in linking smart growth and community development through training, presentations, technical assistance and advocacy. Palm Beach County LISC was recognized as a “National Partners in Progress” awardee by Citigroup. This recognition came with a $50,000 grant. We also instituted our “Rebuilding Palm Beach County –Block by Block” Campaign. We have started a pilot effort in Broward County with two projects with the City of Pompano Beach and the Broward Housing Authority.
Our biggest accomplishment of 2002 is undoubtedly Atlantic Grove. We closed in early October; construction is underway for this smart growth, new urbanist model of development, bringing 55 townhomes, 20 lofts and 46,000 square feet of commercial/retail and office to West Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. The $18.5 million project is the first new development in this traditionally African-American corridor in 40 years. All units were sold in the spring of 2002. The innovative financing assembled by LISC led to the use of a new source of funding for community development…local gas tax dollars. The Groundbreaking Ceremony in early November was attended by more than 250 individuals, including County Commissioner Addie Greene, Wachovia Regional President Harry Weede, Delray Beach Mayor David Schmidt, and Orlando Lorie, Director of the US HUD Miami Field Office, among others.
Our largest funder continues to be the MacArthur Foundation, which made a new two-year commitment in 2002. We have more aggressively promoted our Signature Projects Portfolio to our supporters and increased our communication with them. We have done more presentations and tours in cultivating new donors.