Equitable Neighborhood Development Action Plan
Bonifant Street & Long Branch, Silver Spring Maryland
The Challenge:
To preserve Small Business in the Long Branch and Bonifant Street commercial districts in Maryland
Our Strategy:
In 2019, Ochoa Urban Collaborative provided project management, strategic planning, and policy advice to the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) for small business preservation in the Long Branch and Bonifant Street commercial districts for the development of an Equitable Neighborhood Development Action Plan. LEDC received a JP Morgan Chase grant award from the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB). As the project manager for NALCAB, OUC provided advice on the development a business survey, strategic planning, and policy guidance for the development of a plan that recommends policies and actions to address rapid gentrification and neighborhood change caused by the construction of the Purple Line, a light rail line from New Carrollton to Bethesda, Maryland. OUC provided guidance and analysis on the use of NALCAB’s data and mapping tools provided to LEDC. The survey, maps, and data are helping to inform neighborhood change tracking and policies in other commercial districts along the Purple Line light rail corridor.
Progress to date:
Because of its leadership in equitable development and advocacy, LEDC is co-chairing the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, a consortium of organization, service providers, and local governments working together to alleviate the impacts of construction and gentrification especially among communities of color.
In coalition with other organizations, LEDC led the effort to designate special state funding in 2021 to mitigate small businesses losses due to Purple Line construction and business-related COVID limitations.
In 2021, Successfully organized small businesses to advocate for additional grant support from local governments.
In 2022, LEDC was invited to join the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN), a select network of non-profit organizations working to combat gentrification and displacement funded by JP Morgan Chase.
mochoa@ochoaurbancollaborative.com | 202-413-6910