Neighborhood Planning Grant to Help Communities Revitalize Distressed Areas
The Wells Fargo Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to The Community Builders (TCB), in partnership with Upton Planning Committee (UPC) and Empowerment and Wellness Center, to help plan the transformation of the Upton neighborhoods in Baltimore City. State, local and neighborhood representatives joined community members to celebrate the announcement today at the Upton Community Office.
The Wells Fargo Foundation’s neighborhood planning grant supports the development of comprehensive, resident-driven, neighborhood revitalization plans, which focus on directing resources to address four core areas: economic development, housing, social services and education. Upton is one of two neighborhoods in the City of Baltimore chosen to receive this unique funding from the Foundation.
“Wells Fargo cares about communities,” said Andy Bertamini, Maryland president for Wells Fargo. “We’ve long partnered with West Baltimore – including the Upton Community Garden, which our team members volunteer to maintain. The grants announced today are another investment in making Baltimore better for all.”
TCB, along with its partners, UPC and the Empowerment and Wellness Center, will craft a stakeholder-led comprehensive plan to revitalize the neighborhoods of Upton with the goal of transforming the area into a community of choice. This partnership will rely on resident recommendations for the revitalization plan.
“Today’s announcement is great news for the residents, business owners and stakeholders of Upton,” said Wanda Best, Upton Planning Committee’s executive director. “We are pleased the Wells Fargo Foundation has chosen the neighborhood of Upton as one of the first neighborhoods in Baltimore to receive this competitive grant award and we look forward to working with the community to create a set of strategies connected to realistic implementation goals.”
“We are thrilled to be a recipient of the Wells Fargo Foundation planning grant,” said Rob Fossi, TCB regional vice president of development, Mid-Atlantic. “The Community Builders is committed to the revitalization of the city of Baltimore. The funding from Wells Fargo is seed capital for a critical research and development effort led by strong community partnerships with substantive resident engagement to help make the Upton community an even better place to live.”
The Upton master planning process will explore the state of Upton in 2005 and the state of Upton in 2015 through the data analysis of current housing statistics, area demographics, market analysis of commercial and residential sales, social service and education statistics and community crime statistics.
The planning process will have three phases: research and data gathering; community mobilization and trust building; and community visioning and planning. Additionally, the planning effort will work to bridge the gap between assets and needs.
Over the next 12 to 18 months, the organizations will partner with the city and state to advance the progress of the 2005 Upton master plan. The planning process will include focus groups, interviews, monthly meetings and communitywide gatherings. The 2025 vision for the Upton Community will be designed during the planning process.
About The Community Builders, Inc.
The Community Builders, Inc. (TCB) is one of America's leading nonprofit real estate developers and owners. Our mission is to build and sustain strong communities where people of all incomes can achieve their full potential. We realize our mission by developing, financing and operating high-quality housing and implementing neighborhood-based models that drive economic opportunity for our residents. Since 1964, we have constructed or preserved hundreds of affordable and mixed-income housing developments and secured billions of dollars in project financing from public and private sources. Today, we own or manage 11,000 apartments in 14 states. We are headquartered in Boston with regional hubs in Chicago and Washington, D.C.
About Upton Planning Committee, Inc.
The Upton Planning Committee (www.historicupton.org), founded in 1968, is the umbrella organization representative six Upton neighborhoods.
About Empowerment and Wellness Center
The Empowerment and Wellness Center is a community resources hub that connects people to resources and service providers. The Empowerment Center seeks to improve the quality of life and well-being of the Upton community and beyond.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.8 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,800 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 269,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.
