City of Alexandria, Virginia
__________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: DECEMBER 6, 2017
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Receipt of the Community Action Plan from North End Quality of Life Work Group.
BODY
ISSUE: Receive the Community Action Plan from North End Quality of Life Work Group.
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council receive the final report from North End Quality of Life Work Group.
BACKGROUND: The North End Quality of Life Work Group (the "Work Group") was established by City Council as a resident-comprised Ad Hoc Work Group to meet over the course of one year to identify problems that negatively impact the safety and overall quality of life of public and private housing residents and local businesses in the North End neighborhood. The group was charged with exploring the root causes of issues in the area that lead to violence and lack of self-sufficiency, as well as identify ways to address those problems. Alexandria's "North End" generally encompasses the areas South of First Street, East of the Braddock Metro, West of North Washington Street and North of Oronoco Street. Members of the group were appointed by the City Manager, and the group met monthly beginning in December 2016. Representatives from the community and City departments were invited to these meetings to provide information to the group on different topic areas.
DISCUSSION: After exploring the issues facing the neighborhood and discussing the root causes of these problems, it became clear to the group that the overarching need is for an established sense of community. This neighborhood includes residents from a full spectrum of economic and demographic groups as well as local business owners who all have invested personal time and money into seeking to make the neighborhood a true community. However, there still remains a lack of connection between people of different ages, race, ethnicities and econom...
Click here for full text