October 2012

The Marian Cheek Jackson Center, in collaboration with UNC and Self Help Credit Union, is leading a process to develop strategies to shift the Northside neighborhood's trajectory away from increasing student housing and decreasing long-term single family housing to be more diverse (in 1980 the neighborhood was 59.3% African American and by 2010 is was down to 23.8% - data from Self Help/Jackson Center).

These partners have created a Compass Group of current and former residents of Northside and other interested parties. Through meetings with this Group and conversations with Northside neighbors a list of 5 community aspirations was developed:

1. Preserving a sense of culture and community identify, as well as preserving African-American land ownership in Northside;

2. Helping long-term residents improve their housing conditions and quality of life;

3. Minimizing the negative impacts of student renters/rentals, and perhaps cooling off the student rental market;

4. Maintaining/restoring a close-knit, proud community, and

5. Building a neighborhood that attracts a diverse range of individuals and families going forward.