by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Northeast Florida’s builders and developers are drastically changing the region’s landscape with bigger, newer communities. For some of Jacksonville’s oldest low-income communities, the change comes from within.
Some of Jacksonville’s urban areas have been associated with more negatives than positives by media and largely neglected by the market due to some lingering problems:
• More renters than owners.
• Crime.
• Low-income communities that wouldn’t make an ideal market.
• A culture that yearns for a change to be reflected in a positive light instead of one that has faded in stature over time in some of the area’s oldest sections.
The changes are coming from within as members of the community have stepped up as leaders and are striving to make the areas they call home better by creating Community Development Corporations.
CDCs are non-profit and community-based organizations with a focus to revitalize low-income areas and create affordable housing.
“Our story is that this neighborhood was in disarray and we wanted to, as a community, rebuild it,” said Paul Tutwiler, executive director of Northwest Jacksonville CDC. Northwest Jacksonville CDC currently is improving the areas around Moncrief Road, Golfair Boulevard and Myrtle Avenue.
“We were tired of some of this blight you see here,” said Tutwiler. “You’ve got rooming houses, abandoned homes, trash. The overall community got together and built up a non-profit entity to help create a change. We represent the community.”
NJCDC has been able to strategically acquire condemned houses and vacant lots in order to raze and rebuild them into affordable housing. Low-income people unable to afford improvements that “weathered the storm,” as Tutwiler said, are also helped with rehabilitation dollars to help make needed improvements. Tutwiler noted that many of the condemned houses were havens for crime.
Rev. Anthony Wyche and the Second Chance Help Center are also trying to create a change within their neighborhood.
Second Chance is improving the neighborhoods around Moncrief, Edgewood and Lem Turner, areas Wyche admitted had its share of problems in the past as well.
“Ten years ago we’d have people run down your car trying to sell you drugs,” said Wyche. It’s that environment that Second Chance is trying to eliminate by creating a different culture in improving and building affordable custom housing.
Second Chance has acquired empty lots and razed old buildings in order to rebuild, as well building a new playground and creating a tutoring program for area children. Now, Wyche said, the problems are lessening and the civic pride is mounting with each new home and homeowner.
“Palm trees,” said Wyche, referring to the trees that are now stand up and down Second Chance’s Helena Street center. “I never dreamed of seeing palm trees here. We’re giving people the same look as people on other sides of town.”
Ron Pauline is another community leader who is trying to bring out the best in his communities. Pauline and Metro North CDC are improving areas in northwest Jacksonville around the Norwood, Brentwood and Metro North areas.
“We’ve got a lot going on over here,” said Pauline. “A lot of times we focus on what we don’t have instead of what we have. And the greatest asset we have are the people here. We can do everything.”
Pauline has been with CDCs for over 20 years and attributes the bad behavior of a select few to making his surrounding communities viewed in a negative light. By creating affordable housing throughout the community, Pauline is aiming to create an improved sense of civic pride and change the behavior, with improved affordable housing and a change in socioeconomic gains being a key ingredient to increasing the overall quality of life in the area.
The North Brookside and Norwood neighborhoods that Bishop Johnson and the Grace and Truth CDC are improving was predominately middle class until the 70s, when instability with renters and landlords started a downward trend in the community, Johnson noted. Johnson and Grace and Truth is creating affordable housing within their community and fighting off the crime that set in. Starting first as a part of Grace and Truth Community Church, then branching off into its own entity. Grace and Truth, like other CDCs, is creating affordable housing in an effort to clean its community up and create a sense of pride.
“The best feeling in the world is helping them in their cause of home ownership,” said Bishop Johnson. “We’re spending a lot of time in the community trying to leave a legacy.”
While each CDC is trying to leave its mark and increase its community’s pride and reputation, they have another thing in common: They all say they couldn’t have done it without Carol Miller and the help of some local charitable attorneys.
Miller, of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Community
Council unit, assists CDCs with free legal assistance and education on the processes needed to succeed. With access to the private bar, Miller is able to seek attorneys who offer pro bono services for these CDC’s specialty needs. Some of these needs include developing homeowners’ association contracts and assistance in loans, sales and purchase agreements.
“I’ve hardly ever had anybody say no,” said Miller. “They’ve been very cooperative and willing to help.”
Miller paired Tutwiler and NJCDC with Thomas Jenks of Pappas Metcalf Jenks & Miller. Jenks helped NJCDC with much of the legal guidance, paperwork and planning for NJCDC’s new Golfair Estates subdivision.
“It’s especially gratifying to do something this unique,” said Jenks, who practices mainly in real estate law and real estate mediator.
Miller also helped Ron Pauline and Metro North by leading them to Emerson Lotzia of Foley & Lardner. Lotzia offered his pro bono services in the form of drafting contracts for homebuilders and buyers, negotiations with banks as well as general advice.
“I think it’s great what they’re doing,” said Lotzia, who practices real estate law. “They’re a great bunch of people who’ve come together for a common cause.”
In time, Miller said these efforts should have helped enough to attract the private market back to the areas while keeping the area affordable for people.
“We haven’t listed with any Realtors yet,” said Pauline of his Metro North neighborhoods. “But it’s very possible to list with MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and Realtors in the future.”
Others have already started to get on board with the private market.
“We accept Realtors,” said Tutwiler. “We want to be known as just another neighborhood in Jacksonville.”