Wind Tree Village (High Point)

The WindTree Village Target area was created to focus activities and services in an effort to stabilize that portion of the High Point Community. The neighborhood had experienced severe deterioration of the housing stock and an increase in blighting factors that resulted in decreasing property values, a dramatic increase in vacancy and turnover rates, an escalating crime rate, and a general decline in the quality of life for area residents.

The treatment efforts that have been implemented in this target area consist of a comprehensive package of neighborhood revitalization programs and services intended to significantly improve the condition of the existing housing stock and infrastructure, as well as addressing many "quality of life" issues for neighborhood residents.

Work in this target area began in 1995 with initial efforts centered on organizing property owners and assessing the needs of the community. The targeted area is comprised of 99 platted parcels over a 5 block area, which includes a half block site set aside for community recreation uses. All but 5 of these parcels have been developed with duplex or triplex structures, yielding a 97% multifamily rate. The predominately "rental" character of the area was a major contributor to its level of decline, and the primary variable in determining treatment strategies.

Over the life of this project, the major treatment strategies employed in the area have included massive cleanup campaigns, concentrated code enforcement activities, the purchase and rehabilitation of derelict housing by a local Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) who has since provided professional property management services, the development of a major recreational/community center, the facilitation of a community based policing team, and major improvements to roads, sidewalks, lighting, and landscaping in the neighborhood. These elements have been combined with extensive efforts to organize the residents of the target area and the surrounding community to create a level of community involvement and empowerment that will serve to sustain the long term benefits of our efforts.