<b>- When I grew up here,</b> <b>we had everything.</b> <b>We had three grocery stores,</b> <b>now we're in a food desert.</b> <b>Three schools were open,</b> <b>now all our children</b> <b>are being bused.</b> <b>Medical facilities,</b> <b>dentists, doctors,</b> <b>everything we needed</b> <b>we had it right here.</b> <b>Now we have little to nothing.</b> <b>- [Narrator] Amarillo's</b> <b>North Heights neighborhood</b> <b>shines more in Mildred Darton's</b> <b>memories than she believes</b> <b>it does today.</b> <b>But a resident-driven</b> <b>plan adopted in 2017</b> <b>by the city of Amarillo</b> <b>aims to encourage investment</b> <b>in housing improvements and</b> <b>businesses that can bring</b> <b>much-needed jobs</b> <b>to the community.</b> <b>- In 2015, 2016, the</b> <b>council at the time had</b> <b>a Community Counts Initiative</b> <b>part of their blueprint</b> <b>where they really</b> <b>decided their annual plan</b> <b>and their long-term plan</b> <b>of how they want to see</b> <b>the city change,</b> <b>improve over time,</b> <b>and part of that was</b> <b>focusing on our historic</b> <b>older neighborhoods that</b> <b>might be more distressed</b> <b>than others cause, of course,</b> <b>you have southwest Amarillo</b> <b>that's growing and it's all</b> <b>new but we have to take care</b> <b>of our older neighborhoods too</b> <b>and make sure that they don't</b> <b>get left behind or</b> <b>continue to deteriorate.</b> <b>They need attention and focus.</b> <b>- [Narrator] Among Amarillo's</b> <b>oldest neighborhoods,</b> <b>North Heights is home</b> <b>to 4,700 residents.</b> <b>Households there scrape by on</b> <b>incomes from 30 to 60 percent</b> <b>below the poverty line.</b> <b>Most of the homes in</b> <b>North Heights were built</b> <b>in the early- to mid-1900s</b> <b>and are showing their age.</b> <b>And businesses</b> <b>there have dwindled.</b> <b>In 2016, the city of Amarillo</b> <b>worked with North Heights</b> <b>residents to set down</b> <b>goals and strategies</b> <b>for turning the</b> <b>neighborhood around.</b> <b>- I think they saw</b> <b>a lot of opportunity</b> <b>for redevelopment and</b> <b>investment in the community.</b> <b>It's got a lot of the</b> <b>infrastructure in place</b> <b>compared to maybe some</b> <b>areas that have gaps</b> <b>in infrastructure.</b> <b>Maybe the lines aren't</b> <b>large enough to support</b> <b>the redevelopment</b> <b>that might occur,</b> <b>but it's got the bones in</b> <b>place, it could be improved.</b> <b>It's also got a good</b> <b>amount of commercial area,</b> <b>it's got the benefit</b> <b>of being just adjacent</b> <b>to Amarillo Boulevard which</b> <b>is a great commercial corridor</b> <b>in the community.</b> <b>- [Narrator] Darton views North</b> <b>Heights from the perspective</b> <b>of both a former and</b> <b>returning resident.</b> <b>In 1959, Darton's family</b> <b>moved to the neighborhood</b> <b>from Quitaque.

She was 12.</b> <b>But she moved her own</b> <b>family away in 1979.</b> <b>- So I would not have to</b> <b>bus my child across town.</b> <b>I think, well, I know that</b> <b>you can legislate anything.</b> <b>But you can't legislate</b> <b>the heart or the mind.</b> <b>And if you make up your</b> <b>mind that you are not</b> <b>going to accept something</b> <b>you're not going to accept it.</b> <b>The way they separated</b> <b>the neighborhood,</b> <b>that was a disaster.</b> <b>I worked over 15 years</b> <b>with natural disasters.</b> <b>I came home for a visit and</b> <b>I saw a man-made disaster.</b> <b>So that motivated me</b> <b>because this community</b> <b>invested a lot in me,</b> <b>so I just wanna give back.</b> <b>- [Interviewer] When</b> <b>did you return home?</b> <b>- 2015.</b> <b>I found since I returned</b> <b>home after many years</b> <b>North Heights has</b> <b>become invisible.</b> <b>There's no one that</b> <b>looked like me on a lot</b> <b>of the committees, so over</b> <b>time that has taken its toll.</b> <b>- [Interviewer] What did</b> <b>you see when you came</b> <b>to North Heights?</b> <b>- I saw a lot of</b> <b>vacant property,</b> <b>dilapidated structures,</b> <b>children on the bus stop</b> <b>before sunup in the morning,</b> <b>in weather, rain, wind.</b> <b>Poor transportation, no jobs.</b> <b>Young professionals live across</b> <b>town so what we're left with</b> <b>in North Heights are a</b> <b>lot of single parents</b> <b>that work several</b> <b>jobs, and the elderly.</b> <b>But the community is so</b> <b>fragmented because a lot</b> <b>of the people that</b> <b>live in this area now</b> <b>don't know the history, they</b> <b>don't have the commitment,</b> <b>the pride that we had</b> <b>when I grew up here.</b> <b>We've started fixing it</b> <b>hopefully with the North Heights</b> <b>Neighborhood Plan.</b> <b>- They wanna see that</b> <b>pride in home ownership</b> <b>and investment in the</b> <b>neighborhood and it's tough</b> <b>when you have industrial</b> <b>zonings and multi-family zonings</b> <b>and manufactured home zonings.</b> <b>Not quite as compatible</b> <b>as you'd like it to be,</b> <b>so that's one of the things</b> <b>we're actually working on</b> <b>right now with the neighborhood</b> <b>committee is focusing on</b> <b>where those zones might be</b> <b>that could be a good candidate</b> <b>for re-zoning to try and</b> <b>encourage the types of uses</b> <b>that their plan</b> <b>would like to see.</b> <b>They also wanted to see</b> <b>more diversity of housing,</b> <b>whether it's affordable housing,</b> <b>different single-family</b> <b>housing options,</b> <b>part of that's also the zoning,</b> <b>it's got a lot of light</b> <b>industrial zoning,</b> <b>multi-family zoning that</b> <b>maybe isn't as compatible</b> <b>with home ownership.</b> <b>So those are some things</b> <b>we'll also be focusing on.</b> <b>One of the big dreams, at</b> <b>least from my opinion, is just</b> <b>continued reinvestment</b> <b>in the neighborhood.</b> <b>There's a lot of</b> <b>positives to work with</b> <b>as far as seeing</b> <b>that reinvestment so</b> <b>economic development</b> <b>and redevelopment was</b> <b>high priority for 'em.</b> <b>So I think now we're starting</b> <b>to see that come to fruition</b> <b>with the linen service that's</b> <b>interested in coming in</b> <b>along Amarillo Boulevard,</b> <b>the St.

Anthony's acquisition</b> <b>for North Heights.</b> <b>- [Narrator] North Heights</b> <b>Linen Service plans to build</b> <b>a $5 million dollar facility</b> <b>on West Amarillo Boulevard.</b> <b>The employee-owned co-op</b> <b>would serve hospitals</b> <b>and other businesses</b> <b>with linen needs.</b> <b>And the nonprofit</b> <b>St.

Anthony's Legacy</b> <b>and Redevelopment Corporation</b> <b>is working to revive</b> <b>the long-vacant St.</b> <b>Anthony's Hospital campus,</b> <b>also on the boulevard.</b> <b>- We looked at building</b> <b>permit values back to 2016,</b> <b>citywide anything over $600,000</b> <b>in value so it gives us</b> <b>a good feel for level</b> <b>investment and looking at</b> <b>North Heights there were only</b> <b>about four or five projects</b> <b>that were over</b> <b>that $600,000 mark.</b> <b>One was Warford and a couple</b> <b>of churches, Faith City,</b> <b>their new building</b> <b>that they rehabbed.</b> <b>So this will be the first</b> <b>major private investment</b> <b>into the North Heights</b> <b>Neighborhood Plan boundary.</b> <b>So we were approached</b> <b>by the North Heights</b> <b>Linen Service board</b> <b>looking for a good location</b> <b>for that project, they</b> <b>knew they wanted to be</b> <b>in the North Heights</b> <b>area in north Amarillo</b> <b>to bring new investment</b> <b>and new job opportunities.</b> <b>So the location ended</b> <b>up being where the old</b> <b>Inn of Amarillo was</b> <b>that the city demolished</b> <b>a couple years ago and</b> <b>took over ownership of it.</b> <b>We were able to work with</b> <b>them as far as selling</b> <b>and providing that property</b> <b>to them for that development.</b> <b>So they're looking at</b> <b>providing initially 40 jobs</b> <b>up to 100 as they continue</b> <b>to grow and expand</b> <b>the operation but it's</b> <b>specifically to serve</b> <b>hospital and healthcare</b> <b>industry linen needs.</b> <b>- It's employment, it's a</b> <b>chance to own something,</b> <b>to generate wealth,</b> <b>and that is what</b> <b>North Heights needs.</b> <b>- The St.

Anthony's project</b> <b>it was privately owned</b> <b>for about the last 10 years,</b> <b>and just over the last year</b> <b>a nonprofit was able to</b> <b>work with the previous owner</b> <b>to get it donated</b> <b>basically to the community,</b> <b>to this board working</b> <b>with the North Heights</b> <b>Advisory Committee, to</b> <b>get it into their hands</b> <b>so they're currently</b> <b>underway master planning,</b> <b>looking at concepts, what</b> <b>might that building look like</b> <b>5, 10 years from now so we</b> <b>can start to hopefully work</b> <b>with investors, people</b> <b>that might be interested</b> <b>in seeing something</b> <b>go into that building.</b> <b>- It's an engine that could</b> <b>be used in this community</b> <b>to generate generational wealth.</b> <b>Bring back some of the</b> <b>services that once was</b> <b>in this neighborhood.</b> <b>We could have a satellite</b> <b>social security office</b> <b>because it's across</b> <b>town and a lot of people</b> <b>do not have transportation.</b> <b>We could bring those services</b> <b>back within walking distance</b> <b>in this community.</b> <b>- I think you'll continue</b> <b>to see coordination,</b> <b>Right now we've got a</b> <b>sidewalk project planned</b> <b>so that's something</b> <b>you'll see start this fall</b> <b>on 12th and 18th street</b> <b>as far as sidewalks were</b> <b>a major identification in</b> <b>the plan as far as the gaps</b> <b>in sidewalks being all</b> <b>over the neighborhood</b> <b>when sidewalks weren't required.</b> <b>They've also got ideas</b> <b>for gateway improvements</b> <b>or historic street signs to</b> <b>help liven up the neighborhood</b> <b>as far as showing</b> <b>improvements going in place.</b> <b>But it'll be over the next,</b> <b>probably the next six months</b> <b>we're gonna be working with</b> <b>all the neighborhood plans</b> <b>to identify what those</b> <b>priorities are and continue</b> <b>to work toward those.</b> <b>What we also work with</b> <b>developers in the neighborhood</b> <b>if they've got</b> <b>infrastructure needs</b> <b>whether it's fire-coverage</b> <b>infrastructure,</b> <b>it's not stuff that you</b> <b>see cause it is underground</b> <b>for the most part, but</b> <b>those are things that we</b> <b>hope will encourage</b> <b>reinvestment,</b> <b>and that's stuff that</b> <b>we'll continue to focus on.</b> <b>Warford was another one</b> <b>that wasn't necessarily part</b> <b>of the neighborhood plan but</b> <b>the city took the initiative</b> <b>to take on the old Y</b> <b>and put money into it</b> <b>to see it rehabbed and turned</b> <b>it into an activity center.</b> <b>So we'll continue to work</b> <b>on different projects</b> <b>in the neighborhood.</b> <b>Of course Thompson Pool has</b> <b>been a discussion lately</b> <b>as far as how we go about</b> <b>replacing that pool.</b> <b>So there's a lot of different</b> <b>conversations in place</b> <b>right now.</b> <b>- It's gonna take the</b> <b>community coming together</b> <b>and making some hard</b> <b>choices being involved.</b> <b>Because what's happening is</b> <b>going to affect everybody.</b> <b>You can't correct a wrong</b> <b>overnight, it's gonna take time,</b> <b>it's gonna take participation,</b> <b>it's gonna take commitment,</b> <b>you can't start and stop.</b> <b>It's enough projects in North</b> <b>Heights so that everybody</b> <b>will have at least three.</b>