Historic Little Italy Housing Committee Goals for 2008

= Done = Yet to be done

	Work with the Design Committee on the annual "Clean-Up, Green-Up" week.
	Establish an "Adopt a Park" (block, lot) program
	Begin a simple West 18th Street corridor beautification effort, by planning and purchasing banners, flower pots, hanging baskets, trash receptacles, and benches.
	Meet with the School Board to discuss their plans for Roosevelt Middle School and express the neighborhood's concerns.
	Meet with Cathedral Prep representatives regarding their plans for their new athletic complex and identify synergies, especially related to connectivity, support services, other recreational possibilities (the skatepark and Columbus Park), signage, parking, and other areas of common interest.
	Meet with the City of Erie to discuss the importance of alleys to the neighborhood and get assurance that key alleys will not be closed or sold.
	Continue to eliminate blighted and abandoned buildings throughout the neighborhood.
	Continue to convert vacant lots into positive uses.
	Work with the Design Committee regarding plans for a parking area for residents and area businesses on the vacant property on the north side of 200 block of West 16th Street.
	Working with the Economic Development Committee, begin meeting with the City of Erie Traffic Engineering Department and local industries regarding truck traffic and ways to reduce or redirect it from West 18th Street to West 12th Street, while working with the City to remove the Little Italy section of West 18th Street from the truck route list.
	Begin discussions on creating a neighborhood maintenance program.
	Cooperate with the ERA and HANDS in securing funging for the townhomes project on lots 319-332 of West 18th Street (both sides of the street.
	Continue with new housing construction and assisting homeowners with residential rehabilitation, working with ERA, HANDS, the City of Erie, and other partners.
	Establish an aggressive program to increase home ownership.
	Work with the City to successfully implement the rental inspection program in the neighborhood.