One of the latest proposals in the region involves the planned redevelopment of a 10-block section of Millville’s Center City neighborhood under an umbrella organization called the Millville Neighborhood Alliance.
Kim Ayres is a member of the governing board of the Millville Housing Authority, one of about 12 “partners” that signed onto the project. Ayers, who is related by marriage to Don Ayers, acknowledges that many development projects don’t live up to their promise but believes the Center City project is a little different.
The project is long-term, she said, and involves the inclusion of diverse entities such as churches, the Police Department, the local library, public agencies and, perhaps most importantly, residents living in the still-to-be-determined 10-block area.
“There’s no shortage of studies and plans,” Kim Ayres said. “The successful plans are those where the residents are actually driving the bus. They’re working towards the answers.”
The alliance hopes the project will stimulate about $100 million in investment. The money would be a mix of private investment and public agency funding.
Planning is underway for the project. The alliance’s timeline involves site visits, information gathering, hiring staff and, in June, a neighborhood summit. Final recommendations will be released in December.