VINELAND IS SEEKING FEEDBACK FOR NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION PROJECTS IN LANDIS AVENUE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT
Take the Online Survey by December 31 at 12 Midnight
The City of Vineland is seeking feedback through an online survey from people who live, work, shop, and eat in the Landis Avenue downtown district to help determine the projects and priorities designed to revitalize and rejuvenate the area located in and around the Landis Avenue economic corridor and boost economic growth.
The area covered by the survey is the Downtown Vineland NPP District for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP). The District is bounded on the north by Wood Street, on the east by Myrtle Avenue, on the south by Almond and Grape Streets, and on the west by Sixth Street and West Boulevard.
In October, Vineland was awarded a five-year NPP designation which includes an initial $125,000 grant to generate visible, tangible change in the Landis Avenue Downtown Vineland NPP District driven by local residents and business owners. It is anticipated that the District will receive up to $125,000 a year for five years to assist with economic and community development. The online survey is one step toward ensuring residents and business owners have the opportunity to provide valuable input for the NPP Implementation Plan.
The City of Vineland, in partnership with the Vineland Downtown Improvement District (VDID/Main Street Vineland), under the leadership of local NPP Coordinator and VDID/Main Street Vineland Executive Director Russell Swanson will create an Implementation Plan with the support of a local NPP Stakeholder Team that combines significant community engagement, local knowledge, and hard data. The resulting plan is an achievable and comprehensive set of projects and programs that address local needs and build on local assets.
Meetings of two focus groups have been scheduled in which the public can participate—live and, through Zoom, virtual: A Residents Focus Group will meet on Wednesday, December 15, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Roca de Salvation Church, 513 E. Grape St. A Business Support Group will meet on Thursday, December 16, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., at the Main Street Vineland office, 603 E. Landis Ave. Zoom links for both meetings are on the Main Street Vineland website at www.Events.TheAve.biz/survey.
The deadline for completing the survey—which is available in multiple languages, including Spanish—is Friday, December 31 at 12 midnight. Go to www.events.theave.biz/survey to help us create a community-driven vision for the future of the Landis Avenue Downtown Vineland NPP District. The survey can also be accessed using the accompanying QR Code.
“The potential is great for this program,” Swanson said. “It will enable us to revisit and continue many past development initiatives, as well as to create new initiatives, based on the survey and the input from the Stakeholder Team. By all means, complete the survey and give your feedback on future plans for our downtown.”
Vineland is among 40 communities throughout New Jersey to receive this designation since NPP was revived in 2019 by Governor Phil Murphy and Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, as part of their plan to create a stronger and fairer New Jersey. The goal is to increase place, economic, civic, and social value. It achieves this by enhancing buildings, streets, and a district’s entire physical realm, by supporting and coordinating small business recovery, growth, and sustainability, and by marketing district events and activities while also engaging local stakeholders in planning and relationship building.
For more information on this initiative, contact Swanson at rswanson@vinelandcity.org. For more information on all Main Street Vineland initiatives and events, call the Main Street Vineland office at 856-794-8653, visit the organization’s website at www.TheAve.biz, or visit it on Facebook.
