Adopt a resolution adopting the Community and Neighborhood Services Master Plan Phase II: Neighborhoods.

ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2023-2304 ADOPTING THE CITY OF GOODYEAR COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES MASTER PLAN PHASE II: NEIGHBORHOODS; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. (Christina Panaitescu, Grants & Neighborhood Services Supervisor)

Funding priorities will be established by Council through the budget process annually. Potential funding sources to support the Plan’s activities include the city’s annual federal CDBG allocation, Community Funding program, and the General Fund, including, but not limited to dollars made available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) which Council has earmarked for future resident support programs as part of the city’s COVID response package. 

The city of Goodyear commissioned this study to guide future planning and investments in neighborhood conditions. Consultant Martina Kuehl, who drafted the City’s FY2021-2025 HUD Consolidated Plan, was selected to conduct the study.

The first phase of the Community and Neighborhood Services Master Plan, focused on Human Services, was completed in 2021. Both the Human Services Phase and this Neighborhoods Phase were developed through the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. Information has been incorporated from existing city planning documents and resident engagement was conducted to reveal the diverse needs and perspectives of Goodyear residents.

Development of the Neighborhoods Phase took place over a five-month period during 2022 and was coordinated by the Neighborhood Services Division of the City Manager’s Office. Five neighborhoods were selected as a focus based on their potential to meet the criteria for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding: Canada Village, Cottonflower, Historic Goodyear, North Subdivisions, and Wildflower Ranch. 

Neighborhood residents were offered multiple opportunities to engage in the planning effort. Community engagement staff and volunteers distributed flyers door-to-door and talked with residents as they walked through neighborhoods. The Goodyear Topics on the Move (TOM) van deployed to neighborhood parks to keep residents informed, gain resident perspectives, and encourage participation. Engagement opportunities were also announced in a brief survey and virtually on the Neighborhood Services webpage, via the Nextdoor app, and through newsletters and direct email to neighborhood residents. The City Council also reviewed a draft of this plan in a work session on February 13, 2023. 

The Neighborhoods Phase Action Plan focuses on expanding and supporting resident engagement, building neighborhood capacity, and the delivery system. Specifically, the following goals and objectives were identified. Many of the Neighborhoods Phase actions tie into the longer-term objectives and actions identified in the Human Services Action Plan:

Goal: Residents are viewed as trusted advisors, co-designers and co-producers of a thriving Goodyear.
Goal: Residents work together to create and sustain healthy neighborhoods.
Goal: Goodyear’s Community and Neighborhood Services Delivery System is accountable and participatory. It provides a safety-net in times of crisis, supports stability for residents on the cusp of crisis, and provides opportunities for resident engagement, self-determination, and prosperity.
While there is work to be done to further engage residents and develop implementation systems, neighborhood residents and city officials can benefit from what emerged during the Neighborhoods Phase planning process. Several actionable opportunities are reflected in the Action Plan in addition to neighborhood-specific perceptions and priorities indicated on pages 11 - 15.