CREATING A VISION - FULFILLING A DREAM
Michael shared a favorite Chinese proverb - "Where
there is no vision the people perish." Michael stated that a shared vision
is essential to successful neighborhood revitalization. Following the
discussion, each participant was given a handout entitled "Creating a
Vision-Fulfilling a Dream".
What followed was a facilitated process whereby residents
captured Joaquin's neighborhood now vis-a-vis it's strengths and
weaknesses. Subsequently the following was recorded.
STRENGTHS
 | Historic District |
| Easy Access to A lot of Cultural Activities |
| Can Walk or Ride Bikes Anywhere |
| Mature Trees |
| Socially and Economically Diverse (including age and
ethnicity) |
| Solid Elementary and Middle Schools. Bounded by
University |
| Close to Banks, Post Office, Shopping and Other
Amenities |
| Close to Mountains |
| Good Neighborhood Leaders |
| Officer "MARK" (a.k.a. Friendly) |
| New Library March 2001 |
| Constant Influx of New Ideas and People |
| Lots of Students who want or get service opportunities |
| Stalwart Old Timers |
| A lot of potential for urban renewal and improvement |
| Well organized community based network |
| Terrific Housing Stock |
WEAKNESSES
| Sidewalks (not level) |
| Constituency that votes on issues that impacts Joaquin
but are not necessarily neighborhood stakeholders. |
| Too many absentee landlords |
| Not sufficient rules for absentee landlords |
| Neighborhood exhaustion - fighting zoning issues and
enforcement |
| Not having representation any potential representation
by non-homeowners |
| Too many through streets |
| Not enough parking Illegal apartments |
| Non-observance of traffic laws |
| Not everyone respects values and recognize the
neighborhood diversity |
| Neighborhood Apathy |
| Lack of access to capital for neighborhood improvements |
Note: The above strengths and weaknesses
respectively are unedited and are represented exactly as it was written. Neither
the strengths nor weaknesses are listed in any prioritized way.
What followed then was a facilitated process whereby
residents captured Joaquin's neighborhood vision. During this
process the participants essentially were asked to complete this sentence,
"My Neighborhood Will Be The Best When"... Subsequently, the
written responses were grouped and categorized. The following categories and
related comments were recorded.
"MY NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE THE BEST WHEN"...
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
| Traffic some how is more evenly dispersed through out
the neighborhood |
| 700 East becomes wider for bikes |
| Side streets are closed to through traffic > Traffic
rules are obeyed |
| Get rid of the yield signs |
"MY NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE THE BEST WHEN"...
ZONING ENFORCEMENT & LEGISLATION
| Stop rezoning our property |
| More down zoning takes place (West of 400 East) |
| Zoning laws are observed and enforced |
| High density and low density areas are separated and
honored |
| Infrastructure is adequate for population, especially
for parking, pedestrian, biking and auto traffic |
| Zoning is respected |
| The City sticks to its zoning and parking rules |
"MY NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE THE BEST WHEN"...
RESPONSIBLE PROPERTY STEWARDSHIP
| All homes are maintained |
| No one parks on the lawns |
| Property owners obey city regulations, visitors respect
the same |
| The landlords are held responsible for their property |
| Recognize the ways to solve problems even with absentee
landlord |
| More absentee landlords are some how eliminated |
| Owner occupancy increases |
"MY NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE THE BEST WHEN"...
NEIGHBORHOOD BEAUTIFICATION
| More trees are planted - sidewalks repaired - parks and
playgrounds developed |
| Every homeowner is able to maintain their property
adequately |
| We know how to promote and achieve improvement in a
property that is going downhill |
| Historic homes are preserved |
| Homes and gardens are restored |
| Old, ugly homes tom down and replaced with good-looking
homes. All structures maintained |
"MY NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE THE BEST WHEN"...
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
| Neighborhood supports the Joaquin School |
| Joaquin is re-built - New School |
| The majority of the residents feel like they belong |
| People come together - come out for meetings - word
gets out - people get involved. |
"MY NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE THE REST WHEN"...
OTHER SUGGESTIONS
| Everyone is thoughtful |
| Diversity is valued by the City as well as residents |
| Value, recognize and respect neighborhood diversity
> Differences are respected |
| New residents feel welcomed and informed |
| Get all neighborhood involved by improved communication |
| Around 75% or more in the neighborhood know when the
next neighborhood meeting is |
| Neighbors organize and participate to improve > We
know each other |
| Respect BYU Community > Have more families |
| We divide the neighborhood in half |
| Recognize best solutions probably will come from
those that live in the neighborhood |
COMMITTEE SIGN-UP/WRAP-UP
Kena Mathews, Program Coordinator, reviewed the NHS
Committee structure and encouraged attendees to sign up for NHS Committees.
NHS will work through Joaquin's neighborhood chairpersons
in an effort to clarify any confusion or address any issues and concerns that
resulted from the meeting.
The vision setting meeting ended at approximately 8:30pm.
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