23rd Avenue Corridor Action Team

23^rd Avenue Corridor Action Team
Planning Meeting
March 2, 2001
Harbor House

Attending: Jerry Adams (SACDC), Don Davenport (SACDC), Eric Cone (SACDC), Daryll Hamm (Nat’l Cntr. For Youth Law), Slobodan Dan Paich (Artship), Jennie Mollica (Lao Family CDC), Pat Constantine (VOA), Elena Serrano (Eastside Arts Alliance), David Kakishiba (EBAYC), Jessica Pitt (Urban Strategies Council), Owusu Amoakohene (Urban Strategies Council).

Agenda

• Building Trust Among Collaborative Members
• What Has Been Done in the Corridor to Date
• Concrete Steps
• OUSD Plan for New Schools
• Who Else to Involve
• Next Steps/Commitments

I. Building Trust Among Collaborative Members

Don Davenport initiated this discussion with a report that the SACDC had learnt that the Eastside Arts Alliance had inquired about an environmental impact study on a property that it intends to purchase. He expressed concern that this was undermining the CDC’s work and led him to question how much he should divulging to collaborative partners about his plans. He discussed the need for organizations to be cognizant and respectful of what other organizations are doing in the neighborhood.

Elena Serrano from the Eastside Arts Alliance said she would find out who had made the call. She suspected that it was Bay Area Economics which is doing some exploratory work for Eastside Arts Alliance on identifying potential properties for a Community Arts and Cultural Center. She assured the group that Eastside Arts Alliance was not considering the Miller Ave. site.

II. What Has Been Done to Date

Each person shared with the group what their organization is currently doing in the 23^rd Avenue Corridor.

• Volunteers of America

  • They have building on both sides of the street at 15^th and Miller
  • They also have a long-term lease on the Miller Library building
  • They have a culinary academy in one of the buildings
  • They are still negotiating with the CA Dept. of Corrections about the other building
• Lao Family CDC
  • They own their office building at 23^rd and Foothill
• They have looked into purchasing other building in the immediate vicinity because they have outgrown their space
• Artship
  
  • They are willing to pitch in in whatever ways will be helpful to the process
  • They want to support and celebrate arts in the neighborhood
• EBAYC
  • They have no property interests in the corridor
  • Their work at Garfield elementary school is expanding
  • Through their organizing efforts, they have access to parents who live in the neighborhood and would want to weigh in on what’s happening
• National Center for Youth Law
  • They can support legal aspects of the project
  • They can help with advocacy and legal resources
• San Antonio CDC
  • They are trying to acquire property in the corridorThey plan to put 25 units of affordable housing on the Miller Ave./Int’l. Blvd. Site—this project is in partnership with OCHI. They have a meeting on Monday to discuss Brownfield issues and clean-up. They have $125,000 from the Low Income Housing Corporation in San Francisco for the projectThey have put a bid on the Garcia Building. They recently met a developer who is willing to work with the CDC on the buildingThey have identified 12 lots in the targeted housing areaThey provide technical assistance to small businesses in the corridor
  • They are working with the City and the Police Dept. on safety issues. New problems have arisen around the heroin trade and there is problems with large item littering—the City is not responding.

Other Work Going On:

• Mural project on Lao Family CDC building to be completed in April Youth Employment Partnership (YEP) is moving in—there was a question about whether YEP could use Youth Build resources to build new housing in the Lower San Antonio
• ESAA plans to do new banners on Int’l Blvd. That will go all the way down 26^th Ave. and possible up 23^rd Avenue.

The group agreed that they needed a comprehensive matrix on which organizations are working in the 23^rd Avenue Corridor and what they’re doing.

III. Concrete Steps

• Find out what OUSD is doing
• Outreach to the community to find out what residents want to see in the Corridor
• Bring business community inCoordinate with the Outreach Working Group
• Revisit Greg Morozumi’s drawing of the CorridorBrainstorm ideas—make it visual
• Create a specific event for a 5 block area
• Public art altarsUse banners—each banner could represent a different agency, differentiate banners around 23^rd Ave.
• Create an arch way
• Need housing rehabConvince OUSD to build new housing for dislocated residents
• Articulate and honor public/private thresholdsMore murals
• Leadership development—engaging people who live in the Corridor
• Need an infrastructure—a lead organizer to work with all the groups in the neighborhood
• Mark off geographic scope
• Organize to counter sense of powerlessness around schoolKeep focus on Garfield
• Identify resources that are needed for this work and approach Casey
• Identify what residents need and want—this will direct resource requests
• Engage the faith community
• Engage youth
• Get a detailed map of the area

IV. Discussion

• Not sure the pitch should be "we’re developing a plan."Throw out possibilities and get people to dream a little
• Concern about building up hopes with no follow through. We should start with some things that can be accomplished quickly and with visible results.

V. Next Steps

• Strategize boundaries
• Strategize a planDevelop a budget
• Meeting with OUSD
• Get update on the Adult Education building

VI. Who Else Should Be Attending These Meetings

• Ron Snyder, OCOYEP
• Teresa Navarro, CEDA
• Crime Prevention Council, Rusella Hale
• Faith Community