Redeveloping the Arco Community
Authors: Bradley Barrett, John “Jersey” Koedderich, Dianna Bibby, Haleigh Welch, and Dana Wright
Faculty Supervisor: Heather Farley, Ph.D.
Abstract:
In Fall of 2018, Dr. Heather Farley, Assistant Professor of Public Management at the College of Coastal Georgia, met with Glynn County Commissioner Allen Booker and a representative from the Environmental Protection Agency’s College and University Underserved Communities Program, Michael Burns. They identified a neighborhood here in Glynn County, designated “ARCO neighborhood”, in need of economic redevelopment. Dr. Farley then tasked the Managing State and Local Government class at CCGA to establish a community profile for the neighborhood. To accomplish this task, the class researched independently, as well as in consultation with county and city agencies such as GIS, the Glynn County Community Development Department, and the Planning and Zoning Department for the City of Brunswick.
Through this project, stakeholders were identified, demographical information was outlined, a preliminary communication strategy was planned out, churches and community organizations were located, vacant addresses and lots were highlighted, and the ARCO boundary itself was discussed. Weaknesses such as a lack of street lights, sidewalks, and access of fresh food was also discovered.
In order to fill gaps in the profile’s data set, a survey was also developed to be practically distributed to the neighborhood itself. The community profile, as well as the survey’s findings, should serve as valuable tools for the community to better target ARCO’s priorities. This, in turn, will make the neighborhood better equipped when working with the City of Brunswick and Glynn County on a productive redevelopment plan in the future.
