FRAZIER REVITALIZATION INC. 

Despite a proud history, the Frazier neighborhood east of Fair Park is one of our city's most distressed areas— Dallas' Lower Ninth Ward .  In the past 3 decades, Frazier—which covers more than 1,100 acres bounded by Haskell, Fitzhugh, Scyene, and, on the east, the large tract that encompasses Parkdale Lake—has lost two thirds of its population and most of its businesses. 

Frazier Revitalization Inc. is dedicated to helping residents of this area recapture its former vibrancy.  Unlike areas such as Uptown where redevelopment brought gentrification, the number one goal in Frazier is to benefit current residents by ensuring that their vision guides the process.  FRI’s role is to assemble land, negotiate with developers, and help residents advocate for public policies that will support a thriving community that offers the highest quality of life to longtime residents and newcomers alike. 

FRI’s strategy encompasses three elements: housing, retail and other community services, and jobs. Without any of those, the community cannot thrive. Immediate goals include acquiring vacant land, launching educational programs for prospective homeowners, upgrading the caliber of rental housing opportunities in the neighborhood, and advocating for designation as a “Medical Enterprise Zone” to lure doctors, clinics, medical laboratories, and related businesses to the neighborhood. 

2007: A SOLID START
 

2007 saw a number of crucial victories for Frazier and FRI:

• FRI acquired and demolished the American Inn on Scyene, long a thorn in the side of the community.
• FRI was awarded $1.7 million in grants, including $1 million from the Simmons Foundation, surpassing its fundraising goal.
• The Baylor Health Care System agreed to build a wellness center in Frazier that will focus on the prevention and management of diabetes. 
• FRI entered into partnerships to provide homeownership counseling in cooperation with four major national organizations: Freddie Mac, Consumer Credit Counseling Services, Chase Bank, and Countrywide Bank.
• FRI demonstrated its commitment to minority-owned enterprises by forging partnerships with Good Morning Real Estate, Treco Industries, Camacho Equities, One Hall Environmental, BW Trees and Landscaping, and Break of Day Design.

FRAZIER'S HISTORY

Frazier Courts HOPE VI grant

In 2003, with the support of FCE, the Dallas Housing Authority secured a $20 million HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  The grant spurred a $60 million project to replace 55 acres of decrepit, crime-ridden public housing that had become the symbol of decay and neglect.  In its place, DHA is building new housing in a variety of types and price ranges, from apartments to townhomes to single-family detached houses.

The Frazier Neighborhood Plan
The Housing Authority’s project can be a catalyst, but it is only a start.  Recognizing that, DHA hired internationally prominent urban planner Antonio DiMambro to work with residents of the Frazier area.  Together they produced a comprehensive land use plan for more than 11,000 acres surrounding the federal project.  The plan, completed in 2004, calls for more than $270 million in new development, including housing, retail, industrial and health care facilities.  With a DART light rail line scheduled to open in 2010 along Scyene Road, the neighborhood’s western boundary, the plan will be a vital tool in shaping the market-driven redevelopment that is sure to follow.

Frazier Revitalization Inc.
In 2005, as recommended by the DHA study, FCE formed Frazier Revitalization Inc., an independent 501(c)(3) corporation, to spearhead implementation of the Frazier Neighborhood Plan.  FRI has engaged neighborhood residents, the City of Dallas and DART, corporations, banks, cultural institutions, developers, and brokers to participate in the revitalization effort.  Given the neighborhood’s proximity to downtown and the planned DART line, with public investment acting as a catalyst, FRI’s leaders believe a relatively modest initial investment in housing and commercial structures can create enough momentum that purely market driven development will follow.

In 2006, FRI began acquiring land and working with potential tenants for a commercial development adjacent to the future DART station.  The Baylor Health Care System has allocated funds to operate a wellness center in Frazier devoted to studying diabetes prevention strategies.  Funds have also been committed for a new residential center for senior citizens.  Land assembly and fund-raising will accelerate in 2007.

FCE, P.O. Box 796368, Dallas, TX 75379, 469-221-0700