City Improvements Earn National Award

The city’s Neighborhood Improvement Committee has been commended by the National Assn. of Housing and Redevelopment Officials for the revitalization of Stuart Drive.

The neighborhood, plagued by crime and overcrowding, has been transformed since 1994, when the city formed a special committee to revive the blighted street, said Susan Evans, the city’s housing development director.

The Neighborhood Improvement Committee helped to combat crime and poor living conditions by asking the city’s police and community service departments to form a partnership with property owners, apartment managers and residents, Evans said.

That initiative prompted the city to install a police substation on Stuart Drive and build a playground where children could take part in after-school programs.

The committee also helped property owners get loans to rehabilitate a total of 105 apartment units that were deemed unsafe.

And the city installed a block wall to separate the neighborhood from a nearby shopping center.

Streets were improved by eliminating on-street parking and altering traffic patterns.

The project was funded by community development block grants, the Home Investment Partnership Program and the city’s redevelopment agency.

The National Assn. of Housing and Redevelopment Officials each year recognizes cities across the nation that improve their residents’ quality of life.

Garden Grove officials will receive their city’s award at a conference in New Orleans this month.