Friday, May 30, 2008

Group seeks to revitalize Oak Cliff

By Jacquinette Murphy of North Dallas Gazette

OAK CLIFF — A casual drive along West Camp Wisdom at Highway 67 will offer a clear view of the remnant of a once thriving shopping corridor. Now, vacant buildings with for lease or for sale signage stand with plywood or metal sheets covering the place where windows once where. The businesses that are still in operation are facing high rental fees, theft or low profitability. Unfortunately, this is a seemingly growing norm businesses in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas and a group of citizens have formed the Oak Cliff Community Renaissance Development Corporation in an effort to actively preserve, beautify and revitalize this part of the city.

Rick Jordan, a minister of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Concord Baptist Church, stated that the mission of the group is to increase the tax base of the Oak Cliff area. The group seeks to create more employment opportunities, and to promote economic development in the area, beginning at Highway 67 and West Camp Wisdom Road.

The group will initially focus on the revitalization of the Southwest Center Mall area, renovate the long vacant Cinema Theater and promote the Dallas Executive Airport in its SouthEnd Strategic Master Plan to be unveiled late next month.

“I see building going on every where except in the Southern sector of Dallas. We want people to be able to exit off Highway 67 at Camp Wisdom have a nice area to shop. Right now from downtown Dallas to 67 at Camp Wisdom you have to go outside of the Oak Cliff area to shop.” said Rita Williams, administrative assistant for the organization. Williams referenced the new Uptown Village recently opened in Cedar Hill along with the new Target store that opened just off I-20 at Wheatland Road. Once the new stores opened, the older locations were closed in the Oak Cliff area, thereby negatively shifting its economic benefits.

Economic improvement for the Southern sector was included in the city bond elections since 2003. In 2006, the citizens of Dallas approved a $1.35 billion capital bond program with allocated funds for the area south of downtown Dallas. The funds were set for distribution beginning in 2007 and to be issued incrementally over a 4 to 5 year time period. The corporation is planning to ensure the southern sector is developed by capable and reputable contractors.

“There have been billions of dollars spent in Dallas and we want to help our minorities get a piece of the [economic] pie,” said Jordan.

Furthermore, he stated that he will help foster local alliances in the private sector to assist with any weakness in the contractor business operations. The goal is to make contractors ready to compete for the city contracts.

“If we can receive 20 to 25 percent of the funds that come through the city of Dallas and get the minorities involved, we will be okay,” said Jordan. “It is only fair that every part of the city get an equal part.”

The development and revitalization of Oak Cliff has been a long time passion of Edna Pemberton. She started years ago with various improvement projects, events and programs such as Positively Oak Cliff to Oak Cliff Proud. These groups all seek to build enthusiasm about living and working in the Oak Cliff area. She is now one of the founding members of the Oak Cliff corporation and is “peacock proud” about the plans the group is setting in motion.

“A lot of people talk about improving our community, but not doing anything. We are working through breakfast, lunch and dinner, trying to get our strategic plan done.” said Pemberton. “We have been talking about doing this for many years, now it is the right time, the right place and the right people.” Pemberton further named some of the community members that are coming together to make this venture a success.

“We have enough city-council persons, educators, and businessmen to get the job done. It is not just for African-Americans. We have people from many colors and cultures involved in this.”

Michael Santiago, who is currently a longtime tenant of the Dallas Executive Airport (formerly Red Bird Airport), is also partnering with this team to help in the area of job training and education. “We currently have a dispatcher school out there, ” he began. “I want to train youth to be not just mechanics and to work on the plane, but to be aviation technicians,” said Santiago. He hopes this training environment will generate more interest in aviation, bring more job opportunities and general traffic to the 51-year old airport within the next seven months.

Another business entrepreneur, Jose Sanchez, is set to focus on the housing crisis in the Dallas area by creating more access to homes in the Oak Cliff area. "You hear on the news that there is a need for housing and there are so many houses boarded up. No one is trying to fix the houses, so I want to do the work,” he said.

Sanchez owns Sanchez Services, a complete home remodeling company specializes in remodeling the interior and exterior, including add-ons. He has been in this business for about 10 years and now plans to buy the vacant homes, repair them and maybe sell them to the Dallas Housing Authority.

“Then, when you drive into the Oak Cliff area you will not see many boarded up houses and maybe this will help with the crime rate,” he concluded.

“It will bring economic wealth to our contractors, churches, communities, families and even our children,” added Jordan.

With the key players moving into place, the Oak Cliff Community Renaissance Economic Development Corporation is preparing to go public with its initiative in about one month and looking forward to seeing the results of its efforts within its first year.

“June 24 is the day that we will have our public showing at City Hall. We will announce our plan with our t-shirts on at the City Council meeting,” Edna Pemberton stated with excited anticipation.

Prior to this public showcase date, the team will participate in the Oak Cliff Juneteenth Celebration sponsored by Somewhere Else Club Venue and Dallas Quick Response on June 13 – 15 , 2008 at Hwy 67 at Camp Wisdom. This will be a community celebration with fireworks on Friday, booths with displays activities, contests and an old school concert on Saturday. It will conclude on Sunday with a gospel showcase.

To be an active part of redeveloping the Oak Cliff area and to find out more about the Oak Cliff Community Renaissance Economic Development Corporation, please call 972-780-7544.

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