Partnering with communities 
Ed Wolfe, President of the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce, stands where condominiums and apartments are planned as part of the Bremerton Economic Revitalization Strategy. The plan is a series of pragmatic steps that mix housing, offices and retail together to create activity around the clock - a "24-hour city" concept that has proved to be the recipe for safe, healthy cities nationwide.
"It will take a combination
of a new government center and visitor oriented retail and entertainment
to spark the town back to life. Put those things together, along with new
housing, and you catalyze a vital town center. There's so much work to do
here, but the potential is extraordinary."
-Peter Calthorpe,
nationally known architect and urban planner
"A realistic, doable strategy like this, the hard work and support
we're seeing from business and community leaders, plus the support of
government organizations, are the essential ingredients for a beautiful,
economically vital Bremerton in which we can all take pride."
-Lynn
Horton, Mayor, City of Bremerton
The turn-around strategy is a series of pragmatic steps that build on each other, mixing housing, offices and retail together to create activity around the clock - a "24-hour city" concept that has proved to be the recipe for safe, healthy cities.
Key to making this strategy work is a strong collaborative effort, says Port of Bremerton Commissioner Cheryl Kinzer. "It's exciting to see how much can be accomplished when business and community leaders and government organizations work together on a common goal."
"People in Bremerton are not asking for a handout and are not counting
on some deep pocket developer to fund a giant, unrealistic project,"
explains Bremerton Chamber of Commerce President Ed Wolfe. "Instead,
everybody is working together on a solid realistic strategy to turn things
around."
Suisun City,
California
Population
27,000, with 210,000 within a 10-mile radius
Location
In Northern California's fastest growing county
Challenge
A quality of life survey in the Bay Area ranked
Suisun City dead last. The city's center was a ghost town, with businesses
failing on Main street.
Solution
A determined group of business and government
leaders developed a feasible redevelopment plan, which included a marina,
boardwalk, and government center.
Results
Seven years later, the Sacramento Bee applauded
Suisun City's success in turning itself around: "There's no miracle to
Suisun City. All it shows is that an American town, however dilapidated
and besieged, can revive."
2000 Annual Report:
[ 1. Cover ] [ 2. Message ] [ 3. Mission & Board ] [ 4. Partnering with communities ] [ 5. Partnering (cont.) ] [ 6. Preserving affordable housing ] [ 7. Preserving (cont.) ] [ 8. Investing in dreams ] [ 9. Fostering self-reliance ] [ 10. Creating safe havens ] [ 11. Financial Summary ] [ 12. Properties ]
This is an
Equal Opportunity Program.