Highland Ave Study.pdf

The Brownfields Opportunity Areas Program provides funding for municipalities and community-based organizations to develop planning and implementation strategies for redeveloping brownfields. The goal of the project is to formulate and implement a plan for the active participation of Highland Community stakeholders and residents in the Brownfield Opportunity Area Step Two Nomination Study. Public participation is critical, and residents should be included in all phases of the planning project, with easy access to information about contamination, clean-up, and developmental options. The public participation process is challenging in distressed communities, requiring an aggressive campaign to succeed. The Center for Urban Studies will develop an aggressive public participation plan, functioning as a liaison between the project team and the community, building trust and ensuring the community's voice is heard. The Highland Avenue community is a predominantly African American neighborhood in Niagara Falls, bounded by Conrail tracks, Deveaux neighborhood, Hyde Avenue, and Depot Avenue, with a history dating back to the Second Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North.