BEACON
Business, Enterprise, & Commercial Opportunities for Neighborhoods (BEACON) is a program developed in 2003 by Birmingham mayor Bernard Kincaid and the city's Department of Community Development to promote commercial revitalization in several Birmingham neighborhoods.
Implementation of the program is contracted to Main Street Birmingham and is planned to follow the guidelines of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Main Streets" program. The program's goals include: fostering neighborhood merchants' associations, reducing blight, preserving historic streetscapes, targeting tenants which promote quality of life, encouraging redevelopment, assisting entrepreneurs, and realizing key redevelopment opportunities. By design, the program targets neighborhood commercial districts for revitalization.
The program is funded by both public and private contributors. Birmingham is providing $250,000 each year through 2009, utilizing funds from Community Development Block Grants awarded by the federal government.
In January 2006 the program won the "Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Award" from the National Community Development Association.
Districts
The program is active in nine "target districts" across the city:
- Avondale
- East Lake
- Ensley
- Lomb Avenue
- North Birmingham
- Parkway East
- Titusville
- Tuscaloosa Avenue
- Woodlawn
References
- Fleming, David (October 2006) "Business, Enterprise, & Commercial Opportunities for Neighborhoods (BEACON) Initiative/ Main Street Birmingham". Partners for Livable Communities: Best Practices.
- Fleming, Davis (January 10, 2006) "[http://www.mainstreetbham.org/documents/01172006PressReleaseAudreyNelson.pdf National Community Development Association Bestows Annual Award
to the City of Birmingham for the BEACON Program]". Main Street Birmingham press release. - accessed April 16, 2008