MANSFIELD — City council passed a resolution earlier this month supporting the updated North End Community Economic Development Plan.
This plan is a resident-driven guide for all future redevelopment and planning on the North End of Mansfield. The initial North End Community Economic Development Plan was adopted by Mansfield City Council in 2011, making it the first of its kind.
Tony Chinni, NECIC’s community development manager, was the main author of the 157-page plan, which garnered an Excellence in Planning Award by Richland County Regional Planning Commission.
“Basically, this is the community telling us, ‘These are the things we’d like to see done in the North End,'” explained Deanna West-Torrence, NECIC executive director.
It’s meant to convey the shared values of the community, document its history, illustrate the area’s opportunities and challenges, and guide future redevelopment efforts occurring on the North End, which is made up of census tracts 6, 7 and 16.
The updated version, like the prior plan, addresses economic development, land use, community spaces, public infrastructure/public transit, education and housing. In an effort to meet resident concerns and changing needs since the 2011 plan, a health and safety category has been added to the update.
Five specific target areas are identified for redevelopment:
- Sixth and Bowman
- Woodland Avenue
- Longview Avenue
- West Fourth Street corridor
- North Main Street corridor
One of the main requests noted in the previous plan targeted blight removal.
West-Torrence said residents are pleased with all of the demolition work that has taken place within the North End.
“It is a much different looking neighborhood than it was before the plan,” she said. “The fact that so much of that happened really helped show the people in the neighborhood that the city was hand-in-hand with them in this.”
Two concerns addressed in the new plan are violence and the food desert issue.
NECIC will tie the plan into its small grants program, which in the past distributed $250 grants to three or more residents who wanted to address issues in the plan.
“This year we are revamping that completely,” she said. “I think we want to refresh it and increase the amount of support for people who would like to work the plan with us.”
The plan is available for viewing via the NECIC website.
West-Torrence hopes other local nonprofits can use data in the plan to help secure their own grant funding.
“We hope that it’s a well-used document,” she said.
