Neighborhood Revitalization Project
The St. Mary's University Revitalization Project is a collaboration with our neighbors and the University Park Neighborhood Association focusing on commercial transformation, housing rehabilitation, infrastructure and quality of life improvements.Activities Summary
Summary of Efforts and Activities, 2008
- St. Mary’s announced receipt of a $596,794 three-year grant awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program. The grant allowed St. Mary’s to hire Revitalization Project Director Steve Nivin, Ph.D.; to open a neighborhood center in 2009; and to staff the center with an affordable housing counselor, a social services caseworker and support staff.
- the City of San Antonio awarded the Revitalization Project a $10,000 project partnership grant. As a result, St. Mary’s and the UPNA invited residents and businesses to public meetings in order to learn about the community’s needs and desires. St. Mary’s hopes to receive a Revitalization Project Designation through the Neighborhood Commercial Revitalization Program (NCR). The designation makes it possible for the area to receive additional funding of $370,000 over a six-year period.
- St. Mary’s partnered with the Community Development Loan Fund (CDLF) and received a Citi Foundation community grant of $10,000, which provides for technical assistance outreach to small businesses. Training summits have been planned to inform local businesses about available resources. The first summit is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010, at St. Mary’s University.
- The UPNA, City of San Antonio and St. Mary’s University planted trees along Camino Santa Maria and Culebra Road.
- A St. Mary’s graduate class surveyed neighbors in the Phase I area. Art Vega, Graduate School faculty member and Task Force member, guided the survey that collected information regarding desires for commercial redevelopment and other neighborhood improvements.
- St. Mary’s was selected to receive a matching $6 million from Bexar County venue taxes for renovations and construction of an outdoor sports complex for softball, soccer, baseball and tennis. Construction is expected in 2010.
- The Strategic Alliance for Business and Economic Research (SABÉR) Institute was created to assist the Revitalization Project and deliver high-quality economic data on local economies, among other efforts. SABÉR is a joint creation between St. Mary’s University and the SAHCC.
- The St. Mary’s Alumni Association donated $15,000 to the Revitalization Project, some of which goes toward production and distribution of a semi-annual newsletter for the Phase 1 area. In addition to communicating news from the UPNA, the newsletter informs the community about ongoing revitalization and educational and cultural activities, and it encourages their participation in these efforts.
