DEADLINE EXTENDED TO END OF APRIL.We want to hear from you! The Purple Line Corridor Coalition welcomes your thoughts on its draft Housing Action Plan: 2023–2027. We will be accepting comments on this draft plan until Sunday, April 30, 2023.
How can I provide comments to the PLCC? There are two (2) ways to offer comments on this draft plan:
By web form: Click here to access the web form: English | Spanish
By email: Comments can be emailed directly to Laura Searfoss, Senior Program Director, Mid-Atlantic, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.: lsearfoss@enterprisecommunity.org. Email is the best way to share formatted documents, such as letters.
More about our Housing Action Plan: 2023–2027 What is the PLCC’s Housing Action Plan? The Housing Action Plan sets the big-picture direction for the coalition’s housing work, including actions we implement directly as a coalition, our advocacy and policy agenda, our engagement of community stakeholders, and actions we hope others will advance within their own spheres of influence.
Why did the PLCC update its 2019–2022 Housing Action Plan? The first Housing Action Plan was designed to guide us until the anticipated opening of the Purple Line in 2022. The construction of the Purple Line has been delayed, expected to open in 2027. And a lot has happened since our first plan. This updated plan reflects our successes, challenges, and lessons over the last few years and aims to be responsive to the needs and aspirations of Purple Line residents.
Will my comments be anonymous? It depends on how you share our comments with us. All comments submitted through the web form will be anonymous unless you voluntarily share your contact information with us to receive a final copy of the Housing Action Plan. All comments sent to us via email will not be anonymous, because they will include identifying information (email address).
How will my comments be used? Your comments will be used to create a stronger plan and as these actions are implemented, more housing choices for people of all backgrounds to stay and move near the Purple Line. We will review all comments and based on those comments, identify potential changes to the Housing Action Plan: 2023–2027. Significant changes to the Housing Action Plan: 2023–2027 will be reviewed by the HAAT Leadership Team.
Purple Line Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Strategy
The Purple Line Corridor Coalition and the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland are pleased to invite you to the release of a comprehensive set of strategies to drive equitable development along the Purple Line. “The Purple Line Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Strategy” is the product of a two-year planning process funded by a transit-oriented development planning grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The report includes strategies for affordable housing, small business preservation, safe pedestrian/bicycle access to stations, and inclusive economic growth.
Please Join Us: Wednesday, September 28 Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library 900 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring, MD (outside where the Purple Line will run under the library) 9:30a Light refreshments 10:00a Program
PLCC’s 2021-2022 Small Business Support Action Plan is now available, and it will guide PLCC’s work to support small and microbusinesses through the overlapping challenges of rising commercial rents, construction disruptions, and the pandemic.
The PLCC Small Business Support Action Plan builds on a three-phase small business COVID recovery framework developed by Jill Schlesinger, a nationally-syndicated financial columnist. This includes immediate Triage, medium-term Transition, and long-term Transformation strategies that will create vibrant spaces for the existing community and attract new customers. This plan prioritizes six neighborhoods, referred to throughout the plan as equity areas, where small businesses are most vulnerable to displacement and where increased community investment can drive racial equity. These areas include Greater Riverdale, communities along University Boulevard including Northern Gateway and Langley Park, Long Branch, Bonifant Street and Fenton Village in Silver Spring, and the Brookville Road Business District in Lyttonsville. There are an estimated 830 micro-businesses within 1/2 mile and 513 micro-businesses within 1/4 mile of these stations.
Co-Chaired by the Latino Economic Development Center and CASA, the PLCC Small Business Action Team is focused on supporting existing businesses and strengthening commercial corridors. Strategies identified include:
-Place-based Management, Technical Assistance and Service Coordination
-Policy, Advocacy, and Education
-Marketing and Promotion
-Research and Relationship-Building for Transformation
JPMorgan Chase & Co. has awarded a $5 million grant to Enterprise Community Partners, the Latino Economic Development Center and the National Housing Trust, to help expand access to economic opportunity for local residents and small business owners along the 16-mile Purple Line light rail corridor. Enterprise Community Partners and the Latino Economic Development Center are both partners of the PLCC. Read more about this important achievement here.
Small Business Working Group Makes Policy Progress
The PLCC’s Small Business Working Group hosted a second, successful meeting Tuesday, October 8th at the Silver Spring Civic Building, with more than 30 stakeholders in attendance. Discussions included building capacity for local organizations who are already supporting small businesses, and top-priority issues including challenges posed by Purple Line construction and disruption.
The group also announced the hiring of a consultant to develop an action plan for this work, Manuel Ochoa. Manuel has a lot of experience working in the corridor and will be a great asset to the group. Welcome aboard Manuel!
The Small Business Working Group will meet again Thursday, December 12th from 10am-12noon, venue TBD. If you’re interested in learning more about joining this working group, contact: mtochoa@mac.com
A University of Maryland graduate planning class hosted a small business retail workshop in Long Branch, MD this week. The discussion centered around tools to preserve and strengthen the ethnic-owned small businesses in the Long Branch community in light of the forthcoming Purple Line station.
Bobby Boone, an adjunct professor at UMD and retail specialist, led the session. Students led table facilitation with representatives from Montgomery County, the Long Branch Business League, LEDC, Montgomery Housing Partners, JBG Smith, and Streetsense.
The class will produce a small business toolkit based on the input and collaboration with Purple Line stakeholders.
The Community Development Network (CDN) of Maryland will be honoring the PLCC and the Housing Action Team with a collaboration award at its Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon on November 7. The Housing Action Team worked tirelessly to create the Housing Action Plan, which is expected to be released later this year.
The event is free. The CDN keynote speaker is Michael McAfee, CEO of Policy Link. Find the link to register here.
The Housing Action Team is in the final stages of developing the PLCC Housing Action Plan, which will serve as a guiding document to preserve long-term housing affordability along the Purple Line Corridor. Through listening sessions with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders, the team heard about the needs and aspirations for the communities along the Purple Line.
The Housing Action Team received feedback in the past months on its plan, which is meant to be a living framework for residents and local businesses to monitor the corridor’s collective progress.
Producing and sharing this plan marks an important milestone in PLCC’s work, but there is far more to do. As the coalition grows, the plan will evolve in new ways.
El Gavilan has been running in the Long Branch location for 30 years under long-time owners Jose and Maria Rivera. It is well-known for its authentic Central American and Salvadoran cuisine and music and arts events. The Rivera family are trusted leaders in the Long Branch community.
El Gavilan management plans to do outdoor renovations and expansion, such as a new patio. With the oncoming Purple Line construction, manager Ana Rivera says: “You have to grow, you have to learn.”
Rivera has big plans for the future. “In five years, I hope to have my taco stand outside, and my patio”.
Two PLCC partners, Central Kenilworth Avenue Revitalization CDC (CKAR) and Kaiser Permanente, are working on a place-based initiative strategy for the Greater Riverdale communities.
This concept is both a philanthropic and community development effort. The project involves collaboration with community residents, local churches, school leadership, non-profit service providers, Maryland nonprofits, Enterprise Community Partners, and the Neighborhood Design Center. Still in its preliminary stages, the project aims to build capacity for non-profits that serve along the Purple Line corridor, and address social determinants of health such as food security, employment opportunity, and affordable housing.
