Once a high crime area, Irving’s Tudor Lane now stands as an example of how public-private partnerships can collaborate to transform neighborhoods.
The National Community Development Association recently awarded the 2017 Audrey Nelson Community Development Award to the city of Irving for the redevelopment of Tudor Lane, whose transformation was initiated in 2009 when several city departments began looking at how they could turn the neighborhood around.
Tudor Lane [Photo: city of Irving]
The city partnered with local, state, and federal agencies — the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, the Irving Housing Finance Corp., the Irving Community Development Corp., and the Bear Creek Development Corp. — to invest nearly $7 million into the redevelopment effort.
The funding, obtained in 2010, allowed the city to acquire and demolish several small and dilapidated apartment buildings along Tudor Lane and build 27 new, affordable energy-efficient homes — 14 attached and 13 detached homes with prices ranging from $110,000 to about $125,000. Up to $30,000 in down payment assistance was available to eligible homebuyers, who had to meet low- to moderate-income requirements to buy one of the homes.
COLLABORATION IMPROVED COMMUNITY, LIVES
Prior to the transformation and before a special police unit began focusing on the area, crime along Tudor Lane included burglaries, robberies, drug crimes, and prostitution, Irving police told NBCDFW.
It has since dropped drastically, NBC reported.
The NCDA award, named for the NCDA’s first deputy executive secretary, recognizes outstanding use of Community Development Block Grant funds and public-private partnerships that assist low– and moderate-income persons.
“The redevelopment of Tudor Lane has truly transformed an entire neighborhood.”
Steven A. Reed
The NCDA, a nonprofit, consists of more than 400 local governments that administer various federally supported community development programs, including CDBG funds.
“The redevelopment of Tudor Lane has truly transformed an entire neighborhood,” said Steven A. Reed, Planning and Community Development Director for the city of Irving. “Tudor Lane is a great example of how the federal, state and local governments can collaborate with local nonprofits and homebuilders to address significant community needs and improve the lives of many,” he said.
Vicki Ebner, assistant director of planning and community development for the city, told Dallas Innovates that the final home that was part of the redevelopment effort was sold in January 2016. The city hopes the city’s redevelopment effort will encourage more investment in the neighborhood, she said.
“It’s definitely a neighborhood we don’t want to walk away from,” Ebner said. “We hope this can be a catalyst for private investment in the area.”
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