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CHARLOTTE, NC — A dangerous Queen City neighborhood transformed into a community built with a purpose.
A public-private partnership is on display in West Charlotte, providing residents with a new identity and the chance to build a better future.
“It was bad. A lot of shooting, drugs, everything,” says Renaissance resident Vanessa Mason.
The Boulevard Homes public housing complex had a dangerous history.
“You wouldn’t have wanted to be standing here right now, after dark,” says Charlotte Mayor Dan Clodfelter. “It’s one of the things what would have been true. That was true of an awful lot of parts of the city at that time.”
That’s all changed. Millions of dollars from the federal government, the city and from housing bonds has transformed the 41-acre property.
“By having housing that is going to serve families across generations, schools that will serve kids and families long term, you really create a pathway to prosperity,” says Carol Naughton of Purpose Built Communities, the non-profit consulting group behind the Renaissance design.
The Renaissance will bring together mixed-income housing, senior living, development programs for children and adults, and a Pre-K through 8th grade school. It’s an all-in-one community.
“Students that are going to be served are going to get not only a great education, focused on early childhood, but all the wrap-around services that will be part of this community,” says CMS Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison.
It’s a long way from 1993, when Officers John Burnette and Anthony Nobles were shot and killed here. Nobles Avenue is one of two streets in the Renaissance Community named after those officers killed in the line of duty.
Up until a few years ago, this was a very dangerous neighborhood. Now it’s an urban oasis.
“It’s a whole different front,” says Mason. “It’s just beautiful, and I love it. I feel safe.”
“Look at the transformation of this place from what it was 21 years ago,” says Mayor Clodfelter. “It’s just phenomenal. It really is.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools will begin construction on the school in the Renaissance Community in 2017. The facility is part of the 2013 bond referendum.
