Blueprint Communities Initiative in Delaware declared a “major success”

Dover Post

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Wilmington, Del. — Members of Delaware’s congressional contingent recently praised the progress made in revitalizing urban communities through the Blueprint Communities initiative.The Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, founder of Blueprint Communities, and its co-sponsor, the University of Delaware’s Center for Community Research and Service, have declared the program “a major success” after its initial, three-year run.


U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper and U.S. Rep. John Carney commended dozens of neighborhood Blueprint Communities team leaders the University of Delaware's Wilmington campus Friday, March 18.


As a result of the considerable progress that Blueprint Communities have made, six communities inaugurated into the program in 2008 are being recertified. Blueprint recertification opens the door to additional in-kind and financial assistance as these communities continue to implement their revitalization plans.


The six Blueprint Communities formally recertified today are: Eastside, Wilmington; Edgemoor Revitalization Cooperative; Hilltop/Little Italy, Wilmington; Historic Overlook Colony and Vicinity; Riverside, Wilmington and Simonds Gardens, New Castle County.


“Blueprint Communities is about the training and skill sets needed to improve communities and leveraging that capital to create something more,” ” Carper said. “As our state and national economies continue to recover, we need to support more initiatives like Blueprint Communities, which puts decision-making back into the hands of local leaders.”

“It’s a perfect example of how government can partner with local homeowners, businesses, and community leaders to create positive change,” Carney added.


Since their initial selection, community teams have been busy with training, technical support and ongoing advice from CCRS, FHLBank Pittsburgh spokesman Neil Cotiaux said. Blueprint Communities team members have sharpened their leadership, organizational development and strategic planning skills, among other things.


“Revitalizing communities is hard work, and it’s clear that the six teams being recertified are committed to leading sustained efforts to make their communities the best that they can be,” said Dr. Steven Peuquet, Director of CCRS.


Delaware’s Blueprint Communities success by the numbers:

 

  • $27.4 million in community development activity has resulted from the initiative.

  • FHLBank has committed $465,000 in affordable housing and small business lending funds to Blueprint Communities to date

  • A $225,000 grant provided by the Jesse Ball DuPont Fund for follow-up technical assistance and training being conducted by the Center for Community Research and Service

  • $100,000 committed by Delaware Community Investment Corporation, used to seed initial projects in each community

  • 118 affordable housing units being constructed or rehabbed

  • Ten infrastructure projects (sewer, water, streetscape and beautification) begun

  • What has Blueprint Communities meant to neighborhoods? A partial list of successes includes:

  • Eastside: Better housing through a Neighborhood Stabilization Program grant and the first steps in converting an old high school to a business incubator/community center/government offices

  • Edgemoor: Creation of ERC Resource House, where service providers can meet face-to-face with residents to better understand their specific needs; summer camp and after-school programming for youth in grades K-12 in partnership with Edgemoor Community Center and Brandywine School District

  • Hilltop/Little Italy: Nearly a dozen more businesses since Blueprint Communities began

  • Historic Overlook Colony Vicinity: New landscaping and signage at the intersection of Commonwealth Boulevard and Philadelphia Pike with $350,000 in funding from DelDOT

  • Riverside: $1 million in federal stimulus funds set aside by Wilmington Housing Authority for the demolition of 146 deteriorating public housing units during Phase One of a 400-unit demolition. Razing the site will clear the way for 368 units of new housing and a multipurpose community center

  • Simonds Gardens: The opening of an outdoor entertainment center and creation of a condemnation board that is razing and repairing properties


Beyond these projects, each community is experiencing greater collaboration among neighborhood stakeholders, a renewed sense of civic engagement, and access to a wider network of public and private resources.


In addition to the initiative’s primary sponsors Blueprint Communities program partners include several local banks and nonprofit organizations.