Front Door Pride Takes New Step
From the Mayor's Office:
(EVANSVILLE, IN) – The Evansville Redevelopment Commission is moving forward with a new phase of Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel’s Front Door Pride initiative. It will allow the Commission to declare a redevelopment area where properties can be acquired for neighborhood revitalization.
This is the first step in the full implementation of the Front Door Pride initiative in conjunction with the Haynie’s Corner Arts District. Besides acquisition and demolition, the city will be offering incentives for exterior rehabilitation as well as new construction grants.
“This is an exciting step forward for the Front Door Pride initiative,” said Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel. “Once we have designated redevelopment areas, the city can start moving in and you’ll start to see real progress in these neighborhoods.”
Today, the Department of Metropolitan Development went before the Redevelopment Commission to designate and map out Goosetown Neighborhood 1. It will be bound from the south side of Washington Avenue from 2nd Street to Judson, to the west side of Judson from Washington Avenue to Madison, to the north side of Madison from Judson to 2nd Street, to the east side of 2nd Street from Madison to Washington Avenue.
In the case of “Goosetown Area 1,” the conditions that cannot be corrected are lack of development, age of dwellings, substandard buildings, and declining or blighted neighborhood condition. The Commission today agreed the public health and welfare would benefit by the acquisition and redevelopment of “Goosetown Area 1.”
At the next meeting of the Redevelopment Commission, the Department of Metropolitan Development will introduce a resolution declaring “Goosetown Area 1” as a Redevelopment Project Area. If the Commission approves the resolution, it will adopt the declaration and designate “Goosetown Area 1” as Evansville’s first Redevelopment Project Area. The Commission will consider other redevelopment areas in the near future.
Here are the steps to declaring a Redevelopment Project Area:
1) A findings resolution is introduced before the Redevelopment Commission including:
-A map of the area to be acquired
-A list of conditions in the area that cannot be corrected
2) If the Commission agrees public health and welfare will benefit by the acquisition and redevelopment of the area, it will ask for more information to be presented at its next meeting
3) A resolution is then introduced before the Commission declaring a “Redevelopment Project Area”
-Must include cost estimate of acquisition and redevelopment
-If the Commission is satisfied, it will adopt the declaration
