PACT Overview
PACT is a partnership between The City of Columbus, The Ohio State University,
the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and Near East Side stakeholders.
What is our vision?
To create a healthy, financially and environmentally sustainable
community where residents have access to safe and affordable
housing, quality healthcare and education and employment
opportunities on the Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio.
What are our goals?
• To promote a healthy, culturally and economically diverse
community.
• To be a catalyst for continuing and expanding redevelopment
efforts in the surrounding area and promote and protect
commercial and retail development within the defined
geography.
• To provide recreational opportunities for children and families.
• To provide education, job training and employment opportunities.
• To include stakeholders in major decisions throughout the
redevelopment process.
How will we achieve these goals?
Through the creation of a
blueprint for community
investment
within the PACT geography
PACT Geography
• East: Woodland Avenue
• South: Broad Street
• West: I-71
• North: I-670
PACT Geography – map
What are our values?
• We are committed to open and ongoing two-way
communication through a variety of channels;
• We are committed to a transparent process
throughout all phases of the partnership; and
• We are committed to meaningful community
engagement.
Who are our partners?
• The City of Columbus
• The Ohio State University
• Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA)
• Near East Side stakeholders (those who live, work, worship, visit
and/or appreciate the Near East Side of Columbus)
How did we get here?
• February 23, 2010: Jobs Growth Incentive Announcement made at University Hospital East (UHE)
• February 24: Mayor’s State of the City address
• March – June: The Ohio State University Medical Center and the City of Columbus craft Jobs Growth
Incentive Memorandum of Understanding
• June 15: Mayor convenes OSU and Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority leadership and staff.
Requests a plan be developed to coordinate our collective near east side redevelopment efforts. Working
group appointed.
• June – July: Working group meets to develop coordinated plan which is presented to and accepted by
Mayor Coleman, President Gee and Charles Hillman
• July – October: Working group develops implementation plan, identifies Advisory Committee members
and project leadership
• November 9: Press event at UHE announcing OSU’s $10 million investment commitment, formalized
partnership and project leadership
• December 6: Jobs Growth Incentive legislation passed unanimously by Columbus City Council
Geography Statistics*
Demographics
• 8,000 residents/3,500 households (average household size is 2.29 persons),
• 88% of the population is African-American
• Nearly 40% of the population 20 years of age or younger.
Land Use
• Homeownership rates are very low; just under 80% of the housing is rental
• 57% of the land is residential, 19% occupied by institutional uses and 7% occupied
by commercial or office uses. Vacant land represents about 64 acres in the planning
area or 11% of the existing land use.
• Six public or non-profit entities own 28% of the developed land in the planning area.
Employment
• 86% of the 267 employers are small businesses (10 employees or less).
• The largest employment sector is health care and social assistance, with 70
businesses employing 1,576 people.
• The largest employer in the planning area is the OSU Hospital East.
Statistics*– cont’d
Health
• The leading cause of death of the population in the planning area is chronic
diseases; although heart disease, accidents, diabetes, septicemia, hypertensions
and homicide rank higher than the county as a whole.
• Compared to the county, residents are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured
• More residents report food insecurity than the county as a whole.
Community Assets
• A broad array of community facilities serve the planning area, including OSU Hospital
East, police and fire substations, US Post Office, a library branch, Columbus City
Schools, cultural arts institutions and 27 acres of parkland.
*Statistics are from the Near East /Taylor Avenue Neighborhood Assessment and Analysis prepared by the City of
Columbus Department of Development Planning Division, 1/5/11.
Organizational Chart
Decision Makers
President Gee, Mayor Coleman & Charles Hillman
Oversight Committee
Fred Ransier, Chair; OSU: Dawn Tyler Lee, Jerry Friedman, Elizabeth Seely;
City of Columbus: Boyce Safford, Shannon Hardin; CMHA: Bryan Brown
Advisory Committee
Jobs &
Economic
Impact
Safe Vibrant &
Accessible
Neighborhoods
Health &
Wellness
Education
Housing
Information Flow
Oversight
Committee
Advisory
Committee
Subcommittees
Subcommittee Charge
The primary function of the subcommittees is to provide input into the blueprint for
community investment planning process through the Advisory Committee in the
areas of: (1) Jobs and Economic Impact; (2) Safe, Vibrant and Accessible
Neighborhoods; (3) Health and Wellness; (4) Education; and (5) Housing; in the
defined geography.
Some ways this can be achieved is by:
• Helping identify and gather existing plans, programs and strategies within the
partnership area;
• Researching best practices and models of community development around
the country; and
• Facilitating dialogue among stakeholders.
Subcommittee Charge
Jobs & Economic Impact
• Equipping the residents of the Near East Side with tools towards greater employment and helping to connect them to
employment opportunities are goals of the subcommittee recommendations. PACT is also committed to attracting new and
supporting existing businesses on the Near East Side, supporting a positive economic impact on the community
Safe, Vibrant & Accessible Neighborhoods
• An increased awareness of the history and culture of the area will continue to promote a vibrant area through a variety of
programming. The ability to attract residents and visitors to the community will be closely tied to the increased safety and
accessibility of the neighborhood. The recommendations put forth by the subcommittee aim to make the Near East Side a
neighborhood to live and visit often.
Health & Wellness
• Capitalizing on the resource of existing stakeholders to provide access to care and health information will be a core theme as
the community transforms to a healthier Near East Side. The subcommittee recommendations focus on addressing the health
needs of the community and prevention education.
Education
• K-12, institutions of arts, sciences, culture and higher education afford the Near East Side with a great resource for education.
The subcommittee recommendations focus on the success of students through increased partnership with institutional
stakeholders, parents and students/youth.
Housing
• The ability to provide a variety of housing options will help to stabilize the Near East Side by maintaining current residents and
attracting new residents. Providing information on resources available for both homeowners and renters is a goal of the
subcommittee recommendations. Additionally, the subcommittee might propose the development of new programming related to
housing.
What is the design of PACT?
Phase I – Laying the Foundation (January to June 2011)
The initial focus of PACT will be spent laying the foundation to ensure long term project success. Short
term goals include establishing the physical office on the Near East Side, governance structure,
advisory committees and sub-committees, conducting a neighborhood assessment, gathering existing
data, reports and planning documents about the neighborhoods within PACT boundaries.
Phase II – Developing our Plans (June 2011 to June 2012)
A Request for Proposal (RFP) and selection process will be crafted to retain a master planning entity to
develop a community investment plan within the PACT boundaries. The RFP will be developed in
collaboration with the City of Columbus Planning Department. The final plan will compliment existing
plans for the Near East side. Community engagement will be a critical part of this phase.
Phase III – Inviting New Partners (June 2012 -2014)
Additional local, state, federal and private resources will be pursued for the long-term sustainability of
the project.
Phase IV – Building a Community (2014 -2016)
The plan developed by the master planner, after being adopted by the institutional partners and
stakeholders, will begin to be implemented.
Projects of
Individual
Partners
CarePoint East
Poindexter Village
5-Year Timeline
October 2011: Start Resident Relocation
•
Relocation services include: personal interviews and counseling; receipt of a Housing Choice
Voucher; security deposit assistance; and moving company assistance
March 2013: Complete Relocation
April 2013: Site is secured
2014: Redevelopment Phase as determined by the Blueprint for
Investment
•
If demolition is part of the plan it will take a year to complete
Accomplishments to Date
• Established Near East Side office at 211 Taylor Avenue
• Featured in articles published in Columbus C.E.O. and the Columbus AfricanAmerican News Journal
• Convened 4 Advisory Committee meetings
• Facilitated inclusion of CarePoint East in Mayor’s State of the City address
• Established 5 Subcommittees involving approximately 100 stakeholders
• Hosted tour of neighborhood for University Senior Leadership
• Created name and graphic identity and unveiled it at Community Day
• Trained 30 facilitators and scribes for Community Conversations
• Engaged 257 Near East side stakeholders in 20 Community Conversations,
including young people.
• Collaborated in two federal grant applications totaling $800,000
• Co-hosted a forum for property owners in partnership with CMHA regarding the
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
• Released RFP for website
Community Outreach*
8th Annual History of Black Columbus Conference
Baptist Ministerial Alliance
Columbus City Council
Columbus State Community College
Columbus Urban League
Congressional Offices of Senators Brown and Portman and Congressmen Austria, Gibbs, Stivers, and Tiberi
Discovery District Board of Trustees
Eastside Fellowship Ministry
Fall Fellowship Revival – Mount Calvary Holy Church, Rehoboth Temple Church of Christ, Meredith Temple Church
of God in Christ.
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Heritage Concert Series at the King Arts Complex
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National Night Out sponsored by the Columbus Urban League
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Near East Area Commission
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Ohio General Assembly: Senator Tavares, Representatives Heard and Weddington
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Olde Towne East Neighborhood Association
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OSUMC Marketing and Communications Department Team
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Pastors Conference
•
Saunders Park Civic Association
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Second Baptist Church Ministry Leaders
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Shiloh Baptist Church Board of Trustees
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Thursday Club (President Gee)
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United Way Neighborhood Partnership Celebration
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University Hospital East Community Day
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University Hospital East Board of Trustees
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University Hospital East Supervisory Council
*Does not include all groups and individuals
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Timeline
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August/Sept 2011
Community Conversations, Phase I
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November
Release RFP for Master Planner
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December
RFP Due
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January 2012
Official “Launch” Event
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January – June
Blueprint for Community Investment planning process
Community Conversations, Phase II
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June
Draft Blueprint released
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Summer
Stakeholder Feedback Period
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Fall
Blueprint adopted
How Can I Help?
• Participate in community planning process and
encourage other stakeholders to do the same. Those
interested in receiving regular updates should sign the
guest book on our website.
• Let the PACT Office know if there are other stakeholder
groups we should inform about our work.
• Help dispel myths about our process and future plans for
the neighborhood (see fact sheet).
• Make plans to attend the Launch Event!
Advisory Committee Members
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Fred Ransier, Chair, Advisory Group
Tim Anderson, In My Backyard Health and
Wellness
Lela Boykin, Woodland Park Civic Association
Bryan Brown, Columbus Metropolitan Housing
Authority
Willis Brown, Bronzeville Neighborhood
Association
Reverend Cynthia Burse, Bethany Presbyterian
Church
Barbara Cunningham, Poindexter Village
Resident Council
Al Edmondson, Mt Vernon District Improvement
Association
Jerry Friedman, The Ohio State University
Medical Center
Shannon Hardin, City of Columbus, Mayor’s
Office
Eddie Harrell, Radio One Columbus
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Stephanie Hightower, Columbus Urban League
Allen Huff, Neighborhood House
Erik Janas, Franklin County
Pastor Henry Johnson, Union Grove Baptist
Church
Dominique Jones, United Way of Central Ohio
Kim Jordan, Eldon Ward Branch, YMCA
Dawn Tyler Lee, The Ohio State University
Charity Martin-Via, Urban Spirit Coffee Shop
Pat Mullins, Isabelle Ridgway Care Center
Carole Olshavsky, Columbus City Schools
Boyce Safford, City of Columbus, Department of
Development
Elizabeth Seely, The Ohio State University Medical
Center
Priscilla Tyson, Columbus City Council
Annie J. Ross-Womack, Long Street Business
Association
Questions?
Please contact us!
Dawn Tyler Lee, Executive Director
Autumn Williams, Program Manager
Nicole Taylor, Office Associate
PACT Office
211 Taylor Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43203
info@eastpact.org
614.247.8037