THE UNIVERSITY AVENUE INTEGER POSUERE ERAT A ANTE VENENATIS CORRIDOR COALITION: 
 DAPIBUS POSUERE VELIT ALIQUET. A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT OF OVER 80 STAKEHOLDERS ALONG UNIVERSITY AVENUE, FLINT, MICHIGAN

Photo: The Beecher Buccaneers’ marching band celebrating the reopening of Kettering University’s Atwood Stadium

Five-Year Report 2012-2017

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HISTORY In fall 2012, Kettering University hosted a Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) workshop for community members. Organized by John McGarry, then Director of Atwood Stadium, 22 community members participated in a three-day workshop. As a result, the University Avenue Corridor Coalition (UACC) was established to carry certain strategies as a collaborative effort among stakeholders along University Avenue. The boundaries of the UACC are McLaren Flint on the West to the University of Michigan-Flint on the East, also bounded by Hurley Medical Center/Whaley Children’s Center on the North and the Flint River and Chevy Commons on the South. It was also agreed that Crime Prevention through Environmental Design would be the organizing principle to be followed in the effort to address blight and crime hotspots and to stabilize land use in the area. Participants have since signed a document of understanding and the group has met on a monthly basis.

MISSION To make the University Avenue corridor an attractive and crime-free community that is conducive to sustainable development by addressing quality of life issues (blight, crime, health, social, and education) using strategic collaboration.

CORE VALUES • Everyone has a place

Type to enter text

• Everyone has a voice • Flat leadership style (no by-laws or Roberts Rules of Order) • Focus on the critical opportunities

• Be a vehicle for strategic collaboration • Provide opportunities for growth and empowerment (individual & organization) • Celebrate successes (individual, organizational, coalition)

CRITICAL OPPORTUNITIES • Addressing blight and crime hotspots

• Establishing leisure and recreational areas

• Improving community health

• Creating and enhancing communication links

• Stabilizing land use (economic &

• Creating and enhancing educational

neighborhood development)

opportunities in the area.

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2018 Theme

STRATEGIC COLLABORATION • Monthly Coalition Meetings

• Stewardship and Maintenance of the Corridor

• Yearly Project & Goal planning

• Support the Neighborhoods and

• Placemaking Activities

Neighborhood Associations

• Celebrations

• Provide Training and Technical Assistance

• Special Events

• Connect Organizations, Businesses, Other

• Service Projects

Stakeholders, and Community Residents

PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION 1. The UACC meetings are the primary vehicle for planning and implementation. 2. The co-chairs listen to UACC members, connect individuals and organizations, participate in implementation projects, and maintain data such as the communications lists and other documents. 3. The neighborhood associations participate in the UACC but also have their own avenues for planning and implementation. Neighborhood residents participate in the UACC to ensure that the activities of the UACC are derived from, support, or complement the neighborhood planning and implementation. 4. Additional project implementation groups have been formed by or include UACC members. These include: • Ad-hoc/Short-term Groups

• Placemaking

• Blight Squads

• Flint Design Studio

• Community Development Group

• Flint Smart Cities Initiative

• CORE Security

• Flint Urban Safety Corps

Note: The flow of information at all levels of the UACC (coalition <—> chair <—> neighborhoods <—> project implementation groups) is set up so that they each inform each other and are continuously involved in feedback, dialogue, and continuous improvement.

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UACC MEMBERS (Participants/Collaborators) 1. Career Alliance, Inc.

29. Forge Flint

54. Metro CDC

2. Carriage Town Auto

30. GCCARD

55. Michigan Dept. of

Repair

31. GearUp2Lead

Corrections

3. Carriage Town Ministries

32. General Motors Corp.

56. Michigan State Police

4. Carriage Town

33. Genesee Conservation

57. Mott Park Blight Squad

Neighborhood 5. Center for Community Progress 6. Communities First 7. Community Foundation of Greater Flint 8. City of Flint 9. Clean & Green 10. Crim Fitness Foundation

District 34. Genesee County Habitat for Humanity 35. Genesee County Health Department 36. Genesee County Parks Department 37. Genesee County Sheriffs Department

58.Mott Park Neighborhood Association 59. Mott Park Recreation Association 60. MSHDA 61. MSU 62. Neighborhood Engagement Hub

11. CS Mott Foundation

38. Genesee Health System

63. New Paths

12. C3 Ventures

39. Glendale Hills Blight

64. Powers Catholic High

13. Diplomat Corporate Pharmacy 14. Downtown Development Authority 15. Dr. Arif, MD 16. DTM Elementary 17. East Central Association of Realtors 18. Easter Seals 19. Factory One (GM) 20. Factory Two

Squad 40.Glendale Hills Neighborhood Association 41. Genesee Intermediate School District 42. Good Beans Cafe 43. Greater Flint Outreach Center 44. Huntington
 Bank

School 65. Recycle Bikes & Repair Shop 66.Residents 67. Ruth Mott Foundation 68. Safe & Active Genesee for Everyone 69. Shelton Automotive 70. SIPI 71. Spectacle Productions 72. Stevenson Apts.

21. Family Housing CDC

45. Hurley Medical Center

73. Tenacity Brewing

22. Flint Children’s Museum

46. Incremental Development

74. Tolar Anderson Kim

23. Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce 24. Flint Odyssey House

Alliance 47. Keep Genesee County Beautiful

75. U of M Ann Arbor 76. U of M Flint 77. United Way

25. Flint Public Art Project

48. Kettering University

78. Whaley Children’s Center

26. Flint River Corridor

49. LISC

79. West Court Street Church

Alliance 27. Flint River Watershed Coalition 28. Flint Soup

50. Local Grocer 51. MADE Institute 52. McLaren Hospital

of God 80. 21st Century Performance LLC

53. MEDC Page 4 of 7

ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS • Atwood Race

• Disc Golf Competitions

• Back to the Bricks (Factory

• Flint Public Art Project

One)

Events

• Better Block Grand Traverse

• Free Cities Festival

• Carriage Town Ministries

• Friday Nights at University

BBQ • Collab Night (Good Beans Cafe)

Square

• Thursday Night Party Bike Ride • Tour De Crim • Trivia Night (Tenacity & Soggy Bottom) • Turkey Trot

• Jazz Night (Soggy Bottom)

• Vehicle City Gridiron

• Juneteenth Celebration

• Wednesday Family Bike

• Comedy Night (Tenacity)

• Kettering Service Saturdays

• Crim Festival of Races

• Light Up University Avenue

• Cycling Circles

• Pop Up Restaurants

Rides • 80’s In The Hole Cars Show

DEVELOPMENT • Atwood Stadium Reopens

• Flint River Flotilla

• Mobile Tool Shed

• Bike Patrols

• Flint River Trail (Fencing &

• Montessori Program at DTM

• Carriage Town Street Banners

Lighting) • Flint Smart Cities Initiative

• Mott Park Playground • Mott Park Recreation Area

• Chevy Commons

• Flint Trolley

• Closure of Party Store

• Flint Urban Safety Corps

• Paint What Matters

• Genesee Valley Trail

• Placemaking (various)

• Glendale Hills Flower

• Pocket Guides (Corridor

Hotspot • Community Development Working Group • Community Education • Community Vitality Coordinators

Barrels • GM Mobility Research Center

(Master Plan)

Map) • Real Estate Development Scenario Planning

• Grand Traverse Circle

• Recycle Bike Shop

• Coordinated Patrols

• Grand Traverse Road Diet

• River Trail Watchers

• Coordinated Sidewalk

• Jimmy Johns

• Social Media Presence

Snow Removal • CORE Security Group

• Kettering Police Service Center

(UACC) • Tenacity Brewing

• CPTED Training

• HFH Home Repair

• University Square

• Edible Flint Demonstration

• HFH Work/Live

• Way-finding Signage

• Health Screening House

• UAC Logo

• Learning Garden (Easter

• UAC Video Series

Garden • EduCare Center • Einstein Bagels

Seals)

• UAC Way-finding Signs

• Factory One

• Light Squad

• WOV Radio Station

• Factory Two

• Little Caesars

• Zagster Bike Stations

• Flint Design Studio

• Local Grocer

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Photo Credit: My City Magazine, Flint Children’s Museum

COLLECTIVE IMPACT

78%

250%

DECREASE

INCREASE

INVESTMENT

Number of Poor, Substandard, and Blighted Properties

UACC Attendance and Activity Participation

Development, Improvement, Education, Recreation, and Health

$35M

54%

83%

76%

36%

DECREASE

DECREASE

DECREASE

DECREASE

Assaults

Robberies

Burglary

Vandalism

(2013 - 2016)

(2013 - 2016)

(2013 - 2016)

(2013 - 2016)

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS • 2 Mobile License Plate Readers Installed • 3 Placemaking Plans Created • Drug Houses Closed • 6 CPTED Labs • 10+ Homes Repaired

• 100+ Cleanup Projects

• Increase in Social Capital

• 500+ Lights Installed

and Social Cohesion in Mott

• 91% Reduction in Land

Park, Stevenson, and

Bank Owned Properties • 340% Increase in UACC Membership • A Decrease in Resident

Glendale Hills • Increase in Youth Empowerment in Mott Park • A Decrease in Fear of Being

• 12+ Houses Painted

Perceptions of

a Crime Victim or Being

• 30+ Properties Boarded

Neighborhood Disorder

Involved in a Physical Fight

• 50% of Crime Hotspots eliminated

• A Decrease in Mental

• Victims Were More Likely to

Health Symptoms in

Report Crimes in

• 50+ Cameras Installed

Stevenson/DTM and Mott

Stevenson/DTM

• 71 Trees Removed

Park

• 75+ properties demolished

• Increase in Neighborhood

• 80 CPTED Assessments

Satisfaction in Stevenson/

• 100 Motion Sensors

DTM

• A Decrease in Fear of Crime in Mott Park and a slight decrease in Glendale Hills

Installed

CONCLUSION The UACC is over five years old and has accomplished a lot by relying on sharing responsibility and resources. The UACC will continue to support its member organizations rather than compete or create a duplicate organization. This means that members actively work to support, empower, and build the capacity of neighborhood associations, neighborhood residents, entrepreneurs, businesses, community development corporations, educational and healthcare institutions, faith communities, government, and supportive service organizations. The idea of the UACC evolving into a different type of entity has been discussed over the last few years. Models such as Midtown Development Inc in Detroit, or the Memphis Medical District Collaborative have been explored, but UACC members are generally not in support of this evolution. Members enjoy the way in which the UACC is organized with its flat leadership structure, the absence of by-laws, and Roberts Rules of Order. What benefits the UACC could enjoy such as CDBG funds, HOME Funds, tax credits, etc are still available to the UACC through its strategic collaboration with partners such as LISC, and Habitat for Humanity.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Phone: 810-762-7873 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.universityavenuecorridor.com Social: www.facebook.com/uacflint www.instagram.com/universityaveflint www.twitter.com/uacflint

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