Choice Neighborhood Grant Kickoff:
Let The Community Engagement Begin!

On February 26, 2015 the HUD Las Vegas Field Office, City of North Las Vegas, Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority (SNRHA) and almost 100 residents of the City of North Las Vegas celebrated the kickoff of community engagement activities for the City's new Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant.

Phyllis Hargrove, Senior Management Analyst welcomed the crowd and told them about them about the $485,000 the City received from HUD for a Choice Neighborhood Planning grant. She gave the audience a brief history of the how HUD's Hope IV program became the Choice Neighborhood Initiative.

North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Pamela Goynes-Brown and Councilman Isaac Barron also welcomed the residents. They gave an overview of the Buena Vista Springs and Rose Gardens areas selected for a transformation plan. City of North Las Vegas Neighborhood Service Coordinator Jim Haye provided an overview of the planned community engagement activities. They explained what the community could expect for the next two years. That includes a site visit from representatives from HUD Headquarters in March 2015.

The SNRHA is the City of North Las Vegas' co-applicant on the Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant. Ms. Amparo Gamazo, Development/Modernization Director for the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority (SNRHA) talked about the potential housing units they could one day replace the Rose Gardens senior apartments.

Other attendees included The City's nonprofit partners, representatives from the Clark County School District, the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC), Senator Reid's office and Congressman Crescent Hardy' office. Members from the community were able to ask questions, voice concerns and express hope for seeing their neighborhood being transformed.

The Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant will leverage the activities and resources of the HUD Sustainable Challenge Grant that created the Southern Nevada Strong Campaign Regional Plan. HUD gave Southern Nevada local governments 3.5 million grant dollars to develop a regional plan. The City of North Las Vegas helped to create the regional plan that designated downtown North Las Vegas as an opportunity ready to be transformed.

Contact Phyllis Hargrove (phyllis.a.hargrove@hud.gov)

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