Oklahoma City's Strong Neighborhoods Initiative heads south and northeast

Oklahoma City's Strong Neighborhoods Initiative — SNI — is expanding its successful revitalization program to new neighborhoods on the south and northeast sides.

The city council has designated the Capitol Hill and Capitol View neighborhoods as new SNI areas in 2018. The SNI program will wind down in Classen Ten Penn and Classen's North Highland Parked as it ramps up in the new neighborhoods.

Officials said SNI work will continue in Culbertson's East Highland, where more time benefiting from the program should produce the same success already apparent in Classen Ten Penn and Classen's North Highland Parked.

“We are excited to add Capitol Hill and Capitol View to the SNI family,” said Shannon Entz, a Planning Department senior planner. “Both have enthusiastic leaders and remarkable histories and cultures that we hope to enhance and celebrate through thoughtful programs and planning.”

About SNI

SNI turns neighborhoods toward long-term economic stability by using public and private investment, community engagement and holistic planning strategies. Success is measured several ways, including home values, private investments and crime rates.

The program uses federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to make targeted investments in the neighborhoods, which are selected from within the central part of the city with the oldest neighborhoods.

Public investments of about $6.5 million have been followed by private investments of about $17.5 million in the original three SNI neighborhoods.

Since 2011, annual crime incidents have dropped by almost half in Classen Ten Penn, and stayed below metro-area average in Classen's North Highland Parked.

The average home sale price has more than tripled in Classen Ten Penn and nearly quadrupled in Classen's North Highland Parked in the same time frame.

Home sale prices have improved and crime has declined in Culbertson's East Highland, but SNI will continue in that neighborhood with an updated plan to bring the same success there as enjoyed by the other two original neighborhoods.

New targets

Capitol Hill and Capitol View emerged as the next SNI neighborhoods after a review process that began with eight neighborhoods invited to apply, of which half of them did.

City staff helped the neighborhoods prepare for the application process, which was overseen by a review panel of neighborhood, housing and planning experts and other stakeholders from the community.

The neighborhoods were evaluated across a range of criteria to determine their condition, assets and opportunities, including schools, parks, property values, employment centers, future bond projects and private investments.

City staff has begun meeting with both neighborhoods to make plans for the first year. Those projects will become part of the 2018-19 HUD Consolidated Action Plan, which will be considered by the city council this spring. The first projects should begin to be implemented in the summer.

Go to Facebook.com/SNIOKC or okc.gov/sni for details.