TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Plans for a Neighborhood First program are already underway, mapping out the future of Frenchtown and Tallahassee's Southside.
Monday night, the greater Frenchtown-Southside Citizens Advisory Committee reviewed some of the redevelopment plan goals, like infrastructure, small business investments, safety, and policing initiatives.
The board had the option to approve the five-year plan as is but wanted more resources to go toward youth engagement, saying that involvement could help other issues in the area.
"Sometimes, we can plan and be so high up on our level that we forget about our children," said Katrina Tuckerson, the chair of the Greater Frenchtown-Southside CAC. "So out of all that we're doing in these distressed areas, if we don't set the pathway for our children, there's no need for us sitting at the table. "
Frenchtown community members like K.Lennoris Barber say the way to do that is to include the children in the Greater Frenchtown-Southside Five Year Investment Plan, which the Citizens Advisory Committee for the CRA has had in place since 2015.
"Keep the youth captivated and keep them out of going into criminal activity," Lennoris Barber said.
People who work with youth in the area say expanding to that population can only make things like crime better.
"Issues surrounding youth and culture, art and entertainment those are the kind of things that spark their interest and we'd like to see a little more of that incorporated into the plan," said Lennoris Barber.
The board will look to pass the plan at their next meeting on December 7 with youth changes. Once that is passed, it will be presented to the Community Redevelopment Agency for final approval.
The plan has updated every five years has multiple priorities including Economic Development, Impact on Poverty, and Public Safety.
