One Linden Meeting
Mayor's speech
I don't have a transcript of his speech, but the City has a summary here.
Interesting things:
- gap sidewalks
- lighting
- ADA curbs
- Fire station 16
- transportation for expecting moms
- "smart mobility hubs" with screens, wifi, sub charging, police invocation buttons, multimodal trip planning
- partnerships
Why does Ginther say the plan is different from previous plans? Because the people have been involved in the planning process.
Carla/Carly Williams-Scott/William Scott
tktk transcript of speech
Nick
Slide highlighting the study area's vital statistics:
- 2.63 square miles, bounded by Weber, 11th, I-71, and the easter street. (Not all of North and South Linden)
- $24k median income
- 42% family poverty
- 36% owner-occupancy
- 72% crnic absenteeism at Linden-McKinley HS
- 7 years shorter lifespan compared to cbus
- 18,000 people living in 2016, compared to 32,543 in 1960 at height of Linden's population
Highlights of research done by consultants
- area can sustain market-rate housing at 80% of the area median income
- Nodal development would concentrate retail development at three nodes:
- East Hudson and I-71, perhaps as a "big Box" anchored retail center
- Local retail at Myrtle and Cleveland with locally-owned foods, including a $20m investment in the park nearby
- Grocery-anchored retail development at 11th and Cleveland, at the city's Department of Neighborhoods headquarters, at the COTA Neighborhood Transit Center. A The highlights of the plan as called out:
- housing
- transportation
- education and schooling
- small business/retail
- workforce education
The ten big ideas are designed to be synergistic and impact each other, catalyzing further development.
- "Reimagine Cleveland Avenue":
- to make the COTA CMAX bus line be true Bus Rapid Transit with a dedicated transit lane.
- Pockets of retail density
- Connect residents to employment in fringes of city, provide job training in Linden
- "Address early-childhood experiences" by implementing universal pre-kindergarten schooling
- "Connect the community" by incorporating the community "into the fabric of the city" with "corridor streets" that provide transportation into and out of the neighborhood. Focusing on 11th, 17th, Hudson, and Weber as east-west routes, and makign the Cleveland Avenue route under the train tracks more invitings.
- "Support student success" through the Community Collaborative Model of School Improvement, currently being trialled at the Hamilton STEM school. They want to expand it to the rest of the feeder schools by 2019.
- "Support entrepreneus and busineess" with a business incubator in Linden.
- Reducing crime is paired with reducing the perception of crime in Linden, by addressing safety issue but also changing the neighborhood aestics and performing PR for news stations. TheAlley cleanups, lighting cleanups, the Safe Streets initiative. Violent crime is down.
- Expand the housing stock in the neighborhoods, and provide resources for renters to make them feel like they're part of the neighborhood. Incentivize landlords to invest in their prroperties.
- Support resident health through "comprehensive programs" throuhg a "holistic approach" that "will consider physical, emothional, financial, and other aspects of health."
- "Building community investment" through the aforementioned nodal development.
Audience members at the presentation were provided with an executive summary of the full report. The full report is adjacent 11x17 pages, one idea per spread. The presentation went into a brief presentation on how to read the report. Each big idea comes with implementation items in different areas. Timeframes for each of these are bucketed by 1-5 years, 6-10 years, or 11+ years.
ourlinden.com has full copies of the plan, and copies will be available at libraries, schools, and rec centers in Linden. Area commissioners and community leaders will also be provided physical copies.