(July 5, 2007) — The city of Rochester, guided by the positive Richmond, Va., "Neighborhood in Bloom" experience of targeting resources for neighborhood redevelopment, as well as its own housing study, will be targeting city neighborhoods for development — neighborhoods that are identified as emerging.
However, we are concerned that the housing study said that two areas of the city — in the 14621 and 14605 ZIP codes in northeast Rochester — lack any potential for building or rehabbing homes and then selling them at market rate. These areas are some of the city's neediest.
According to recent statistics, the population of the area is 50 percent African American and 30 percent Hispanic — and more than 50 percent of the Latinos who live in the city live in this area.
Furthermore, 42 percent of the residents have incomes below the poverty level compared with 26 percent citywide; the median household income is about $19,000 compared with $27,000 citywide; the unemployment rate is about 8.6 percent compared with 6 percent in the region and 4.7 percent nationally; the ratio of owner-occupied homes to renter-occupied is 30 to 70; and more than 95 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch.
We do not disagree with the notion that targeting specific areas for investment is the best approach. We hope that targeting a neighborhood means that all the pertinent resources in areas such as economic development, safety and educational, health and recreation services are pulled together and made available to the community.
However, Rochester is our city and if redevelopment is done right, regardless of what area is selected, we all will benefit. So, we'd like to make the case for targeting northeast Rochester. A criterion for selecting an area for redevelopment should include the residents' socioeconomic needs — and not just the recommendations of the market study. As can be seen from the abovementioned statistics, ZIP codes 14621 and 14605 are two of the city's most challenged areas.
Failing to target this area would negate everything we have been talking about as we pitched the need for a robust Children's Zone whose concept states: "Children's success is clearly linked to the quality of their home, community and school environments. ... Imagine if all key institutions focused on common objectives and strategies and worked collaboratively to deliver education and surround care to the children and families of northeast Rochester. We could transform our city, create a brighter future and effect significant change and improvement in the lives and well-being of our students and their families."
Although the housing study does not encourage market rate housing development in 14621 and some of 14605, let's not forget that the issue of quality of life remains paramount in this area and that quality of life for the residents will not be achieved unless we act.
No matter how we frame the process of targeting or what the road map to achieve the desired goal is, let's be creative and let's recognize that northeast Rochester is in need of much help and let's provide that help.
Rosario-Escher is president and CEO, Ibero-American Action League; Marlin is president and CEO, Ibero-American Development Corp.
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