DREAM NEIGHBORHOOD — Mike Thompson, left, and Brandon Thompson used game pieces to design the layout of their ideal version of Steubenville’s North End neighborhood during a community workshop by the Steubenville North Choice Neighborhoods planning team Saturday. -- Christopher Dacanay
STEUBENVILLE — Individuals used maps, string and board game pieces to design their ideal version of Steubenville’s North End neighborhood during a community meeting and workshop hosted by the Steubenville North Choice Neighborhoods planning team Saturday.
This was the planning team’s third community meeting, tasking Steubenville residents, business owners and officials with collaborating to craft their ideal designs. The workshop is part of the planning team’s ongoing community listening and learning sessions in preparation for creating a neighborhood revitalization strategy, or transformation plan, in 2024.
That transformation plan will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development along with an application in the hopes of receiving a Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant for between $30 million and 50 million. Funds would be used to redevelop 206 units of low-income housing in Steubenville’s John F. Kennedy Apartments and Elmer White Family Units, both owned by the Jefferson Metropolitan Housing Authority, into mixed-income developments.
Melody McClurg, executive director of JMHA, said of this community meeting: “Our focus is for the residents of JMHA and the whole community (to) look at housing, at this point. What types of housing would we like to see, (and) where do we feel we want more greenspace, parks.”
“This was a wonderful event,” said Eliza Kelley, president and founder of EMIT Training Consultants, which is handling Steubenville North Choice Neighborhoods’ project management. “The community was focused, the community was engaged and … they had a vision of what they can see happen in the future.”
Six tables of participants laid out their ideal neighborhoods and presented their ideas before each other. Notable trends included some groups wishing the railway line that cuts through Steubenville’s downtown would be redeveloped into bike or pedestrian lanes.
Several groups suggested transforming North End Park into commercial zones, with replacement parks and recreations areas being concentrated elsewhere. Though placement and type of housing differed between groups, discussion was positive regarding creating specialized housing for the disabled and seniors.
The workshop was led by Triveece Penelton, a city planner with the consulting firm Vireo, based out of Kansas City, Mo. Vireo is working on Steubenville’s project with the planning and urban development firm COLLABO.
Penelton preceded the ideal design workshop with background on the neighborhood project thus far. One such piece of background was a video — watchable on YouTube and Steubenville North Choice Neighborhoods’ website, steubenvillechoice.com — that shows an informational meeting Steubenville’s planning team had with individuals from Pittsburgh’s Larimer/East Liberty Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, which received HUD’s implementation grant in 2014.
Other pieces of background included results from the planning team’s Steubenville resident needs assessment survey and Steubenville’s real estate market analysis — both available for viewing on the Steubenville Noth Choice Neighborhoods’ website.
In December 2022, the city and JMHA received a $500,000 HUD Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant, funds from which are for the planning team’s two-year planning process to draft and finalize the transformation plan for submission to HUD. Penelton said part of these funds will be used to create an “early action project” — a community amenity meant to demonstrate the planning team’s ability to work together on a project.
Penelton said one idea for an early action project is a “community learning garden,” which could feature decoratively painted streets. People were invited to contribute ideas for the garden’s design at the planning team’s table during the Sherman Avenue trunk-or-treat later that evening.
Kelley said after the meeting, “We want to encourage everyone to come out and participate in these workshops, meetings and community events so that this type of energy is spread throughout our community.”
She added that the next community meeting will hopefully be held sometime before next year.
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