Avenue's Place-Based Focus in Action
Old Sixth Ward / Washington Avenue Arts District
Located to the west of downtown Houston, roughly bounded by Memorial Boulevard/Buffalo Bayou on the south, Shepherd Drive on the west, I-10 on the north, and Houston Avenue on the east.
This is the neighborhood where Avenue was born in 1996, as the Old Sixth Ward Community Development Corporation. Our earliest work focused on saving historic homes and buildings and preserving them for affordable housing. Major projects in the neighborhood include the preservation of the Jefferson Davis Hospital (now the Elder Street Artist Lofts), and our first new-build affordable apartment building, Washington Courtyards. In this community, we also helped to convert a defunct factory and warehouse into workspaces for artists. The development of Winter Street Studios and Spring Street Studios led the way to the establishment of the now thriving Washington Avenue Arts District.
Near Northside
Located directly north of Houston’s downtown, from I-10 north to Cavalcade, bounded by Maury Street on the east and I-45 on the west.
Avenue has been working in the Near Northside since 2002. Our major affordable housing developments here include Avenue Place, Avenue Terraces, Avenue Station, Avenue Villas, and Fulton Gardens. We opened our HomeOwnership Center here in 2008 to expand our services in homebuyer education and counseling and to strengthen our presence in the community. In 2009, our first intensive place-based community building and engagement program was launched with the support of LISC Houston. With a focus on engaging the community broadly, encouraging and supporting resident leadership, dreaming big, and including all, GO Neighborhoods is bringing Near Northsiders together to create and implement their own organic vision for a thriving neighborhood. The community has completed two comprehensive plans including the Near Northside Quality of Life Agreement (QLA) and the Near Northside QLA 2.0.
Northline
Located approximately four miles north of downtown Houston, bounded by Tidwell Road on the north, the Burlington Northern rail line (a half mile north of 610) on the south, Hardy Toll Road on the east, and I-45 on the west.
Avenue began development efforts in the Northline area in 2003 with a supportive development role in Oak Arbor Townhomes. In 2015, we were invited to bring our community building and engagement strategy to the neighborhood. With initial support from NeighborWorks America and then the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation, we have worked with more than 1,500 residents and 65 institutional partners to create ‘Our Northline: A Health Equity Plan.’ This plan will guide our efforts into the future to help resident leaders build a strong, safe, supportive, and connected community.