Green Impact Zone® Programs

The Green Impact Zone is intended to be a comprehensive approach to transforming a community; addressing every facet of the community's life. However, not everything can be done at once so priorities will be set based on need and availability of funds. The neighborhood leadership has selected five areas initially to concentrate on as indicated above: housing rehabilitation and weatherization, job training and placement, public safety and community services, energy efficiency and water conservation, and infrastructure.

Programs can be split into two categories:

  1. Programs that already exist in the community
    There are already a host of programs available in the community. However, these have, at least by themselves, not always been effective for residents of the Zone. There are a number of reasons for this including rules that prevent effective use of the programs, lack of coordination with other programs, and lack of knowledge about the programs and how to access them. The Zone intends to use these programs in a coordinated fashion with extensive outreach to the community, not only in informing residents of the programs, but helping them access the programs. Also the Zone will be looking to find ways to use old programs in new ways so that they reach more people in ways that are helpful.
  2. Programs that are developed using federal grant funds or other resources
    In addition, the Green Impact Zone is already applying for a number of federal stimulus grants and other resources to provide new programs for the zone. These grants are being constructed in such a way as to use the extensive outreach program that will be a part of the zone. The grants are also relying heavily on the development of new partnerships and innovative ways of delivering service. The Green Impact Zone is also forging new partnerships beyond the federal grants to bring civic and private resources to the zone. These funds and resources are especially important because they are likely to be the most innovative.

Program initiatives that will occur in year one

  1. Housing and Weatherization Strategy Year One – Improving a large number of the homes within the Green Impact Zone is a primary objective. Both existing and new housing and weatherization resources will be used to develop an individualized program for each home and to address abandoned properties.

    2. Programs that will be undertaken in year one within the Green Impact Zone to address housing and weatherization needs:

    • The current existing weatherization program will continue to be available to homeowners and landlords within the Zone.
    • The Zone will work with the Kansas City Weatherization Program to expand and expedite the use of federal stimulus weatherization funds in the Green Impact Zone through extensive outreach and dedication of support staff such as energy auditors.
    • The Zone will apply to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Energy Center for an innovative weatherization grant. These are federal stimulus funds which should be available in the fall of 2009. The innovative program will be designed to overcome some of the barriers presented by past weatherization programs and expand weatherization to every home in the zone.
    • The Zone, KCPL, MGE, and the Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC) will develop a pilot weatherization program to improve the quality of weatherization, expedite the process, and extend the benefits to every home in the zone. A part of this process is developing a financing strategy that will allow every home in the Green Impact Zone to be addressed. This may be a part of the innovative weatherization grant mentioned above or it may be a standalone program.
    • The Zone is the featured target neighborhood in a $35 million Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This program, if fully funded, could provide up to 250 rehabilitated or new homes within the Green Impact Zone. It is anticipated this initiative will start by the end of 2009.
    • The Zone is the focus of a Healthy Homes Technical Study being submitted to HUD by the Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC). This will provide additional resources to improve homes in the Green Impact Zone.
    • A key element of the housing and weatherization strategy is to develop a listing of all existing and new housing resources which Zone workers can use in order to develop customized rehabilitation approaches for each home. In this fashion they will be able to maximize the impact of these programs and steer private and other resources to gaps where existing programs cannot assist.
  2. Employment and Training Strategy Year One – A key element of a sustainable strategy for the Green Impact Zone is job training and placement so residents have the resources to maintain their homes, families, and neighborhood. Both existing and new resources will be used to provide every person in the zone that is in need of a job or enhanced skills the opportunity to not only get those skills, but be placed in a good paying job using those skills.

    3. These programs will be undertaken in year one to provide job training and placement opportunities:

    • The Green Impact Zone staff will work closely with existing job training and career development organizations to make sure that residents of the zone have full access to existing programs and opportunities.
    • The MEC, the Full Employment Council, the Metropolitan Community Colleges and other organizations are already training and certifying individuals and companies to do weatherization in anticipation of increased demand for such services. Some of these trainees have been zone residents. The Green Impact Zone staff will work with these organizations to make sure that zone residents are fully aware of training opportunities in weatherization and are able to access them. They will work with these organizations and others to connect these weatherization jobs to longer-term, career ladder jobs in construction.
    • The Full Employment Council, the Metropolitan Community Colleges, and other organizations, in partnership with the Green Impact Zone, will apply for federal stimulus grants to develop new job training and placement activities for zone residents, particularly in the area of green jobs. It is anticipated that several of these grants will be submitted in the fall of 2009.
    • The Green Impact Zone will work with public and private partners to develop a pipeline not only of job training opportunities, but to make sure that these opportunities are connected to long-term private sector jobs.
  3. Public Safety and Community Services Strategy Year One – this strategy will greatly depend on the receipt of a federal stimulus grant to set up a community policing and community services center within the Green Impact Zone. The center will include six community policing officers, two code enforcement officers, and two community services staff. This staff, in partnership with the neighborhood leadership and Green Impact Zone staff, will develop a combined strategy to address crime, property maintenance and neighborhood services within the Green Impact Zone and implement that strategy. This will rely heavily on integrating the work of the community police officers, the neighborhood volunteers and staff, and the Green Impact Zone ombudsmen.
  4. Energy and Water Conservation Strategy Year One – A key element of the Green Impact Zone is to improve energy and water efficiency within the zone in order to improve the sustainability of the zone, make it more attractive to outside investment, and to reduce utility bills.

    5. Following are programs that will be undertaken in year one within the Zone to improve energy and water efficiency within the zone:

    • A major part of this program at the residential level is the goal of weatherizing every home. See programs under Housing and Weatherization Strategy above.
    • KCPL is applying for a smart grid grant through the federal stimulus funds. The smart grid will allow the utilities and Zone residents to better control energy use thus reducing energy bills. This project is anticipated to start in 2010 and will be closely coordinated with weatherization programs.
    • A major effort will be mounted to encourage businesses and institutions within the Zone to improve their energy and water efficiency. This will include education and developing an integrated package of existing incentives and helping businesses use these incentives.
    • As a part of the smart grid initiative KCPL and other partners will be encouraging and incenting the installation of renewable energy sources, particularly solar panels, on commercial and institutional facilities.
    • The Zone will be exploring the establishment of a major partnership with a national organization promoting renewable energy and energy conservation and the city of Kansas City in order to demonstrate how energy conservation and climate protection initiatives can be instituted in urban areas in such a way as to benefit zone residents as well corporate partners and the overall environment.
    • Neighborhood-based activities such as weatherization and Community Crews will include a component to address both water conservation and storm water management.
  5. Infrastructure Strategy Year One – A key element in the revitalization of the Green Impact Zone is infrastructure investment. Such investments can reinforce other rehabilitation activities and make private investment more attractive. Major infrastructure investments are already being made within the Green Impact Zone. These include the replacement of the Troost Bridge at Brush Creek, the improvement and beautification of the area around Troost and Brush Creek and along Emanuel Cleaver II Parkway, and the establishment of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line along Troost. An important element of the infrastructure strategy will be coordinating planned infrastructure with private and public investments that will be made by the Zone in order to realize maximum impact of these investments.

Other areas

Although it is very important that the Green Impact Zone remain focused in order to make real accomplishments there are two additional areas that will be given attention within the strategies above or will be addressed through partnerships.

Youth – Over thirty percent of the zone residents are below the age of 24. A successful zone strategy must make sure that young people have both hope and opportunity for a better life. Strategies identified above that will address youth include the community policing initiative, job training, and Community Crews. However, it will be important that youth activities be coordinated within the zone and partnerships be developed to address matters of importance to youth.

Business Development– The Green Impact Zone is primarily a residential area. However, the businesses along the major corridors are an important element in creating a sustainable community and a key provider of services and employment. Helping businesses access resources to improve energy efficiency is a part of the Year-One Game Plan. It will be important to work with organizations such as the EDC, Chamber, and New Tools to develop strategies to help businesses in the zone thrive and to attract new businesses and services into the zone.