AGENDA - San Antonio Housing Authority

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYEASTSIDE CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMATION PLANThis plan is grounded in a set of guidingprinciples created through an active communityengagement process. It is basedon an analysis of existing conditions todetermine the community’s assets andattributes, as well as barriers to being fullyengaged as a vibrant and vital neighborhoodin the City of San Antonio. The Planidentifies the issues, articulates the community’svision, and provides a clear set ofactions that will facilitate the revitalizationof the area.Although several issues were identified byresidents, a significant finding is the shift indemographics and culture. Historically, theneighborhood was largely African-Americanwith businesses, schools, churches andamenities oriented to that population.However, in the past several decades, theneighborhood has transitioned, witnessingan increase in the Hispanic populationand a decrease in the number of African-Americans, who choose to stay or returnafter completing their education. Residentsbelieve this contributes to the lack of adistinct and unique identity.The Eastside Choice Neighborhood is oneof an ever-diminishing number of neighborhoodswhere children can still walk to andfrom class. However, the quality of schoolsin the footprint has diminished and manyparents choose to enroll their children inprivate and charter schools outside thefootprint. Previous standardized tests confirmedparental concerns and the dropoutrate of the high school within the feederpattern is 46% and students consistentlyunder-perform their counterparts in otherschools. A high mobility rate within theneighborhood due to the high rental turnoveris also a contributing factor.The median income is substantially lowerthan other neighborhoods across the county.High unemployment is emblematic of thelack of adults of working age who are gainfullyemployed in careers earning a livingwage and subsequently living below thefederal poverty level.The Neighborhood challenges include anabundance of vacant lots and abandonedstructures, dated housing stock, more rentalsthan homeowners, a lack of connectivity, acrime rate twice the rate of the City-at-large,and a business environment in a state ofdecline. Single-family housing vacancy anddeterioration has been increasing and althoughthe neighborhood is centrally located,barriers include being adjacent to an interstatehighway, rail lines and industrial parks.The transportation system lacks efficiency insome areas, resulting in significant amountsof time to reach key destinations.The Housing challenges include a multifamilyvacancy rate of 14% and a lack ofquality affordable housing. The WheatleyCourts property consists of public housingthat is inefficient, inaccessible and obsolete.Transformation Plan GoalsThe Transformation Plan is organized intothree primary areas:• People: Investment into the people of thearea will result in improved educationalattainment, increased employment rates,healthier lifestyle choices and decreasesin crime. This will be accomplishedthrough an integrated case managementdelivery system, with organized data collectionand analysis, which will bring newservices to the area and provide educationand job training options for arearesidents.• Housing: The Transformation Plan callsfor the redevelopment of the WheatleyCourts, as part of a broader transformationof the Eastside neighborhood. SAHAwill create 591, mixed-income rentalhousing units as part of the overall effort.This will include one-for-one replacementof public housing, which will bedistributed throughout 305 new constructionunits at Wheatley Courts andan additional 286 mixed-income units atii