Neighborhood revitalization planned for Macon, Georgia
Editor’s note: Beverly Blake is the Program Director for the Knight Foundation community programs in Columbus, Macon, and Milledgeville. Below, she announces a new grant for Macon neighborhoods and invites your thoughts in the comments and by e-mail.
Yesterday, a $250,000 Knight grant was announced for a comprehensive revitalization planning effort in Macon, Georgia–a significant expression of Knight’s confidence in the community to make Macon’s neighborhoods vibrant and welcoming for all people to live, work, play and study.
From the announcement ceremony (video is 11:02):
Macon has eleven historic districts containing more structures of historic significance than either Savannah or Charleston. The successful revitalization of two distressed Macon neighborhoods in 2002 led to a push to reclaim the soul of the intown neighborhoods with beautiful architecture, great history, and forty years of decline.
Mercer University anchors one end of both the downtown and intown historic districts: the downtown area with beautiful boulevards and architecture and the Ocmulgee River at the other end. This revitalization grant will specifically target an area between Mercer University and downtown Macon known as College Hill Corridor.
With a community alliance joining Mercer students, a new mayor, and a reinvigorated city council with existing Macon leaders and residents, we are on our way to transform the physical landscape of Macon’s first neighborhoods and the way we feel about this place we call home.
I invite you to join us in this effort; please let me hear your thoughts by e-mail (blake {at} knightfoundation {dot} org) and in the comments below.