Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation Releases Framework and Vision Plan

"A goal without a plan is just a wish," stated Antoine de Saint-Exupery.  In early 2014, Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (TGNCDC) recognized the need and made a commitment to start urban planning efforts shaped by community stakeholders.  The goal was  to develop a set of objectives to guide our work to positively affect the neighborhoods of Shaw, Tower Grove South and Southwest Garden for decades to come.  TGNCDC engaged H3 Studio (Tim Breihan represented the firm) to consult on the project and spent over a year collecting information.  The result is the TGNCDC Framework and Vision Plan.  The plan will support and direct effort around short term and long term goals, rally partnerships and attract funding.   You can read more about the project in the articles below.  You can download the plan here. The Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC board approved the framework and vision plan earlier this month.  The plan is also the heart of the strategic planning efforts for the Community Development Corporation.  " The Board and staff of TGNCDC has made a concerted effort to use the Framework and Vision Plan to set our specific three-year business plan goals, objectives and expected outcomes.  Our strategic business plan will turn the visions into reality and drive the vision forward" stated Tom Sweeney, President of the TGNCDC Board.  To our knowledge, TGNCDC is one of only a few community development corporations with a framework and vision plan.  Over the next year, TGNCDC will present the final plan to stakeholders in the service area and beyond to promote the plan and to develop strategic partnerships.  In addition, TGNCDC hopes the compiled information will help neighborhood associations and other organizations in the area create more detailed strategies around their priorities.  The plan could also be the impetus for a neighborhood plan that would ultimately be adopted by the City of Saint Louis.  TGNCDC Executive Director, Sean Spencer, noted, "The TGNCDC Framework and Vision Plan identifies the needs of our service area through stakeholder input and sets a course of action to make valuable change.  The greatest asset of Tower Grove Neighborhoods isn't Tower Grove Park, MoBot, our architecture or our location, it's the people.  The plan will not only help our organization prepare our work programs, it will also assist committed residents/stakeholders to make improvements for generations that follow. "

Other blogs and info related to the plan:

The presentation from the first public open house can be downloaded  here

The presentation from the second public open house can be downloaded  here

You can read previous blogs on the neighborhood visioning project here:  http://wp.me/p4d282-v7 and  http://wp.me/p4d282-vg  and http://wp.me/p4d282-z9