Not only has the College Hill Corridor Commission and College Hill Alliance met most of their goals, they’ve exceeded many of them as well.
That was the report of Gerri Spilka, who evaluated what has gone on for the past four years in the corridor for the Philadelphia-based firm OMG Center for Collaborative Learning during the Alliance’s annual meeting Tuesday in front of more than 100 people at the Cox Capitol Theatre.
Spilka praised the Commission and the Alliance for developing a whole new set of community leaders, creating innovative new projects and using grant money to leverage private partnerships for investment in the corridor.
Mercer University President Bill Underwood said he thinks College Hill can serve as a national model for revitalizing neighborhoods.
“It’s always nice to have fresh eyes looking at what’s happened,” Underwood said of Spilka’s presentation. “It’s confirmed what our accomplishments have been. Certainly, it’s one of the most exciting neighborhood redevelopment projects going on in our country.”
The College Hill Corridor Commission was formed as a partnership between Mercer and the city in 2007, developing a master plan to develop the corridor between the university and downtown.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded $2 million in 2009 to create the College Hill Alliance to attract new businesses and residents to the area and help develop programming and projects for the neighborhood. The foundation also awarded $3 million to create the Knight Neighborhood Challenge, for which residents and groups can submit ideas to get funding to implement them.
Kathyrn Dennis, president of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, told the audience that her agency has awarded 68 Knight grants for more than $1 million.
Sarah Gerwig-Moore, co-chairwoman for the commission, said what has been accomplished in those four years has exceeded her wildest expectations.
“It was so theoretical,” she said. “Now, when you look at Mercer Village, with the shopping there and the lofts, it’s like a dream come true. It’s certainly the most visible, lasting change.”
Other changes that were trumpeted Tuesday were events in the corridor, such as the annual soapbox derby and the monthly Second Sunday and Third Thursday events.
That’s in addition to the neighborhood revitalization that has gone on in the corridor and in Beall’s Hill in partnership with Historic Macon.
Josh Rogers, executive director of Historic Macon, said during his presentation Tuesday that partnering with College Hill allowed Historic Macon to exceed its goal of two revitalizations per year to 15.
During the presentation, officials aired a new video promoting the history of the corridor and its accomplishments.
Pat Madison, executive director of the College Hill Alliance, said it was leadership from the community that got College Hill to this point.
“To effectively compete, Macon needed leaders to implement their ideas,” he said.
As for what the future holds for the corridor, he said the alliance would continue to take its lead from the community.
“It’s not up to me,” he told the audience. “The College Hill Alliance is not driving the bus -- you’re driving the bus.”
To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334.
