Photos by Erin Mizelle for The Chronicle
Michael Banner reveals his group's list of concerns
at the East-Northeast Area Plan Update kickoff
meeting on Tuesday, March 17 at the Rupert Bell
Neighborhood Center.
Bobbie Collins speaks with a group of fellow con
cerned citizens at the East-Northeast Planning Area
kickoff meeting at the Rupert Bell Neighborhood
Center.
Marco Andrade, city project planner, thanks the res
idents in attendance as he closes the East-Northeast
development meeting at the Rupert Bell
Neighborhood Center.
-i -m. . ?%
Winston-Salem planners ask bast-JN ortlieast
planning area residents to help with growth
BY TORI PITTMAN FOR
THE CHRONIC! F
"Come share your ideas
about how your communi
ty should grow."
That's what the adver
tisement said to attract peo
ple to the meeting last
month with city-county
planners who would dis
cuss the East-Northeast
Winston-Salem Planning
Area, at the Rupert Bell
Neighborhood Center.
Twenty to 30 residents
came to the meeting.
"The people are our
main source," said Marco
Andrade, project planner.
"They see what's going on
in the community every
day. So we want them to
tell us their ideas, sugges
tions, and concerns."
Material from the city
says the City-County
Planning Board of Forsyth
County and Winston
Salem is responsible for
preparing and maintaining
a comprehensive plan for
Forsyth County.
"Comprehensive
plans" address land use,
usually based on zoning.
City-County planners dis
cover what residents want
in their communities, then
present those desires to
City Council, which will
make laws governing the
kind of businesses and
other development that will
be approved for the com
munities, if developers
want to be in the areas.
At the meeting last
morith, maps were dis
played to show what work
has been done in the East
Northeast area, as well as
sketches and plans on
future developments. The
district includes parts of the
East Ward and Northeast
Ward. The planting district
has mostly black residents.
At the meeting, Chris
Murphy, one of the depart
ment's leaders, said the
City-County Planning
Board's Legacy 2030
Comprehensive plan
involves expansion and
improvements on all of
Winston-Salem, including
the East-Northeast area.
The goal is to have new
developments that will
attract people to reside,
increasing the population
by 120,000. This compre
hensive plan has been
accredited twice by the
American Planning
Association.
Kirk E/icson followed
up, explaining how the cur
rent plan was adopted by
City Cotlncil and the City
County Planning Board in
2008. The March 17 pres
entation was to show the
existing conditions from
that adopted plan, while
having the intention to
reach out to the community
to express their views and
to give the board more
ideas.
"During the 2008 plan,
people were involved and
were giving suggestions,"
said Derwin Montgomery,
council member represent
ing the East Ward. "It takes
what the community wants
to see, while the developers
figure out how to make it
happen."
Montgomery was
unable to attend the meet
ing because of prior
engagements, but he spoke
to The Chronicle later.
At the meeting, Byron
Brown, another project
planner, gave demograph
ics of the East-Northeast
Winston-Salem Planning
Area, which is 80 percent
African-American, fol
lowed by smaller percent
hour for the residents to
divide into two groups and
conduct a.list of what they
like about the district, what
they don't like and sugges
tions for improvement.
Altogether there were two
pages of what they liked
about the residential area,
while a total of three to
Soure: City of Winston-Salem The Chronicle"
The process continues
More meetings are planned for Tuesday, April 21
and Tuesday, May 19 to show another draft based
on residents' inputs.
After that, a public presentation will be displayed
among the City-County Planning Board staff and
citizens on Tuesday, June 16 at the Rupert Bell
Neighborhood Center, 1502 Mount Zion Place, be
fore taking it to elected officials.
For more information, go to
www.cltyofws.org/planning to view the plan in its
entirety.
ages of Asian, Hispanic
and Caucasian residents.
The area encompasses
about 14360 people and
4323 acres. It is generally
bounded on the north by
North Liberty Street and
Lansing Drive; on the east
by Brushy Fork Branch,
Winston Lake Park and
U.S. 158; on the south by
the Southern Railway; and
on the west by U.S. 52.
Brown said the histori
cal landmarks such as the
bridges, archaeological
sites and certain properties
like the George Black
House and Brickyard are to
remain on site. The
Historic Resources
Commission staff has
reviewed the sites since
2009, giving input into
what should stay, since
some have been moved or
demolished.
Andrade presented
improvements that have
come along from the adop
tion plan in 2008. A CVS
Pharmacy was built on
Martin Luther King Jr.
Drive along with the reha
bilitation of the building
for Transitional Housing
for Homeless Veterans on
Glenn Avenue.
Developments have been
made along the Smith
Reynolds airport. Also,
new residential houses are
to be built along Third,
Fourth and Fifth Streets.
Then the planning
department took the next
four pages about what they
didn't like about the area.
Certain residents had a
common interest about the
parks in the area as well as
Winston Lake. One resi
dent in particular, Michael
Banner, father of two, was
mostly fascinated with the
historical aspect of the
community.
"You can walk past a
street and not know the his
tory behind it," Banner
said. "You wouldn't know
if that was where the origi
nal fire station was located
or if that place was where
the Black Panthers would
have their meetings. You
wouldn't know unless you
ask."
Most of the residents'
main concerns were the
crime rates, the neglectful
landlords and housing, and
how certain necessities
need to be in a closer range
instead of them having to
drive miles across town.
They want more sit-in
restaurants in their area
instead of fast food places.
Bobbie Collins, one of
the elders who has resided
in the East-Northeast area
the longest, spoke about
how thankful she was to
have stayed in the same
house that she grew up in
and have the same phone
number. Her concern was
how some of the areas look
"run-down."
"We need to have some
beautification in this area,"
k
Collins said. were past due to be seen.
More concerns from The same strategies that
the community were that- enhanced downtown
"The people are
our main source,"
-Marco Andrade
sidewalks and side streets
need to be paved for the
safety of elders and chil
dren.
There was also talk of
the lack of job opportuni
ties and economic develop
ment within the area.
According to Montgomery,
the East area has had some
economic development. He
stated, however that the
lack of development is
because of the private sec
tors not investing enough'
into the community.
"Bonds have passed
into the area. Investments
Winston needs to be the
same thing for the East
area," he said.
Montgomery said it
depends on the private sec
tor making the time and
investments and residents
should see the adopted plan
go into full swing in the
next five years. He said
that the Council and city
are pushing this plan to
make it happen based on
what the community is say
ing what they want.
"I would like to see the
elders and the youth come
together," said Martha
Reid, president of the East
Northeast Neighborhood
Association.
Reid states that from
her travelling abroad, she
would like certain things
she's seen infused within
the community.
Another suggestion
made from the residents
was to make something
other than the recreational
center a gathering place for
the youth. The millennial
generation should be
involved in such meetings
to voice their opinions.
The planning depart
ment will take the resi
dents' suggestions and
come up with a draft plan
that will closely fit their
needs. Several more meet
ings are scheduled before
the new plan is presented to
the City Council for
approval later this year.
Chronicle Managing
Editor Donna Rogers con
tributed to this report.
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