Hickory's revitalization program wins national award

Vacant buildings aren't hard to find here.

When the manufacturing and textile mills pulled up stakes and left town, they left their buildings behind.

Hickory Councilwoman Sally Fox thinks empty, run-down buildings are an invitation to crime such as vandalism, loitering and drug activity, and can become a drag on neighborhoods.

She saw the problem, and in January 2008, put together an eight-point plan to address it. She presented her Operation No Vacancy at the Council Retreat, where it was well-received, and the council decided to act, Fox said.

The plan was a way to encourage businesses to purchase, rehabilitate and repurpose vacant buildings through grant funding, and the city staff took her ideas and developed them into a fully-formed and funded project.

"The staff took my idea and thought out of the box and they went with it," Fox said. "I'm really excited about this program because I see it as a top-notch tool for our staff to stabilize some of Hickory's neighborhoods."

In May, she traveled to Corpus Christi, Texas, to receive a national award for Operation No Vacancy during the Alliance for Innovation conference on Transforming Local Government.

The Alliance for Innovation is an international organization that highlights innovative programs and best practices from every aspect of local government. Alliance for Innovation emphasizes the importance of working across department and agency lines to develop new processes that improve the performance and efficiency of local government.

"Local governments across the United States and Canada compete for the honor of being recognized for the Outstanding Achievement Award," said Karen Thoreson, president and COO of the Alliance for Innovation. "Hickory stood out as a community that identified a problem and used creativity and collaboration to address it."

Operation No Vacancy received an "Outstanding Achievement in Local Government Innovation" award.

Nine other governments across the country also received this award.

"Hickory's staff put together a team effort and did an outstanding job putting Operation No Vacancy together, and in the end, this program will help all citizens in all aspects of life as it fills empty buildings, creates jobs, and strengthens neighborhoods and the entire community," Fox said.

Fox accepted the award on behalf of Hickory, and she, Hickory Assistant City Managers Andrea Surratt and Warren Wood and Hickory Planner Dave Leonetti presented the program to local government professionals across the country.

Operation No Vacancy is a new initiative in Hickory that aims to attract reinvestment in distressed commercial and industrial corridors. The initiative began a comprehensive inventory of vacant buildings in the city was conducted.

This inventory to create a Commercial Revitalization Area, which contains the areas that have the highest concentration of vacant buildings and need for reinvestment.

Operation No Vacancy has unified existing grant programs in Hickory, such as the Downtown Appearance Grant, and created new incentive programs that are targeted to the areas of greatest need. The newly created Vacant Building Revitalization grant offers 50 percent matching funding of up to $25,000 to those who redevelop vacant or under-utilized buildings.

Hickory's planning staff also is creating redevelopment plans specific areas within the Commercial Revitalization Area. These plans will include infrastructure investments such as sidewalks and bus shelters aimed to help spur reinvestment in those corridors.

For more information on Operation No Vacancy or the Vacant Building Inventory, call 323-7422 or go to www.hickorygov.com under the Planning and Development Department.

DETAILS:
The Outstanding Achievement in Innovation Awards went to:

• Hickory, N.C., for Operation No Vacancy

• Airdrie, AB (Canada) for Municipal Census Application

• Albermarle County, Va., for Family Support Program

• Colleyville, Texas, for Advancement in Communications

• Farmers Branch, Texas, for Proactive Performance-Based Code Enforcement

• Fort Collins, Colo., for Climate Wise

• Manassas, Va., for Week of Hope

• Palm Bay, Fla., for LODIS

• Plano, Texas, for Concept of Sustainability

• Rock Hill, S.C., for Communitywide WiFi

The awards are bestowed annually to programs that successfully and creatively address important public service dilemmas and positively impact their communities.