Broening Manor, Graceland Park, Medford, and O’Donnell Heights Neighborhood Revitalization Plan

Despite the 400-acre study area’s proximity to I-95 and location adjacent to a wide-range of employment centers, the population of the Revitalization Area has declined over the years.  Housing demolition, increased vacancies, underutilized land, unkempt properties, blight, and an overall lack of investment has led to unsafe, unhealthy, and undesirable living conditions.  The purpose of the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan is to create a shared vision and implementation strategy in collaboration with the four neighborhoods for the improvement, reinvestment, and redevelopment of the area.

The community engagement process included six Steering Committee Meetings and two Public Workshops, spanning approximately nine months, to effectively envision, examine, and finalize recommendations for the study area.  Stakeholders outlined disinvestment, health, education, safety, housing, and social concerns and opportunities as priorities.  In an effort to address these considerations, stabilize the neighborhood, and provide opportunities for growth and future investment, the consultant team outlined a wide-range of phased recommendations and a shared vision, together with an Implementation Matrix, in collaboration with the area residents and key stakeholders.

At the heart of the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, in an area that provides virtually no public amenity space, is the proposed 5-acre Central Community Park. Adjacent to the existing O’Donnell Heights Community Center and between two new 21st Century Schools, the park will be a prominent, needed, and identifiable feature within the community, supporting a wide range of passive and active recreation amenities. Other plan recommendations include targeted redevelopment opportunities, transportation improvements, open space initiatives, and key partnerships that would facilitate needed programs and services in the community. To unify and build a greater sense of community, special emphasis was placed on promoting safety, health and wellness, outdoor education, environmental stewardship, access to healthy foods, and social interaction.

The Neighborhood Revitalization Plan is a tool, having assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the neighborhoods, that outlines and emphasizes priority opportunities and recommendations for implementation. The Implementation Matrix will guide redevelopment efforts, policy decisions, public and capital investments, and programs and partnerships needed to advance plan goals.  The plan, too, outlines strategies for redevelopment of the future phases of the O’Donnell Heights public housing site, including the need for a Neighborhood Plan that will support a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) application. The Neighborhood Revitalization Plan is the culmination of the Steering Committee’s guidance and the community’s support to outline a compelling and unified approach for improvement. This document memorializes the process and community’s objectives and will be a living document that guides future investment and implementation.