Neighborhood Partnership Policy

Purpose

Strong Communities

The city’s mission statement is “to be the premiere community in which to live, work and raise a family." Strong and vital neighborhoods are crucial to attaining this mission. The state of our neighborhoods reflects the overall financial and social well-being of the city. The purpose of the Neighborhood Partnership Program is to stimulate and enhance neighborhood vitality and customer satisfaction by addressing the concerns and special needs of neighborhoods through progressive, collaborative planning. The city’s Neighborhood Partnership Program promotes neighborhood vitality through neighborhood meetings and planning opportunities that provide two-way communication with residents, support of neighborhood/homeowner associations, and cultivate neighborhood partnership agreements.

Neighborhood/Homeowner Associations or Organizations

Neighborhood Associations and Organizations are voluntary, non-profit organizations formed by residents of a subdivision or a neighborhood. The goal of these organizations is to enhance and preserve the quality of the neighborhood. A neighborhood association’s/organization’s activities may include beautification efforts and developing crime prevention programs. The neighborhood association/organization has no regulatory powers.

Homeowner Associations are mandatory for all property owners within the boundaries of the development with an established homeowners association and usually charge mandatory fees. They also have legal authority to enact and enforce maintenance and design standards, and levy fees for maintenance of common areas.

City staff can assist neighborhoods in establishing neighborhood associations/organizations where no organization currently exists. The goal is to create ongoing organizations of residents devoted to betterment of the neighborhood in which they live. Assistance may be in the following forms:

Staff Consultants – City staff can serve as consultants and facilitators, if needed, during initial neighborhood association planning meetings. Staff members will attend organizational meetings, will give technical advice and be available for questions. Staff will provide sample articles of incorporation and by-laws for neighborhood organizations.

Mailings and Flyers – The city may provide up to three mailings to the residents in the neighborhood to try to interest the community in organizing a neighborhood association. If the neighborhood organization is distributing flyers by hand, staff may provide additional copy services. Staff may design and make copies of flyers for this purpose.

Types of Neighborhood Partnerships

The city will enter into matching grant agreements with neighborhood organizations/associations and homeowner associations located in Coral Springs for the purpose of fostering neighborhood empowerment and vitality. All groups must be registered with the Community Development Division as an active neighborhood organization. If the organization/association is not registered as a Florida not-for-profit corporation pursuant to Chapter 617.301-312, Florida Statutes.

These agreements will pertain to either community involvement or beautification, and shall include, but not be limited to the following items:

Community Outreach Programs will involve projects that directly include neighbors in advancing the vitality and safety of the neighborhood. The intent of projects in this area will be to have the city funds work as a catalyst to initiate new programs. Funding will not be available as a regular funding stream for ongoing operations. Examples of safety projects: upgrading facilities at a neighborhood park, providing education at the neighborhood level, neighborhood watch organization programs, citizen patrols, child safety programs, code compliance programs and planning special neighborhood events. Safety projects should enhance the safety of the neighborhood residents.

Beautification Programs will involve low maintenance/Florida friendly landscaping or other improvements to common areas visible from public rights-of-way, public rights-of-way, or city-owned property in or around the neighborhood, which serve to beautify the neighborhood. Such projects could include upgrades such as: neighborhood, or park signage, landscaping, neighborhood park landscaping, and tree canopy replacement or landscape rehabilitation in rights-of-way, upgrades to neighborhood identification directional signs, and lighting to name a few. Improvements funded by the city through the Neighborhood Partnership Program need to be identifiable as a shared asset to the community and something that will endure with time.

NOTE: Tree Canopy Replacement or landscape rehabilitation involves replacing the tree canopy or landscaping lost in hurricanes or other disasters (i.e. widespread insect or fungal infestation) on property located along public rights-of-way. (Must be approved by the City Arborist.)

Eligibility

The matching grant program is designed to give assistance to specific neighborhood projects that will promote a stronger and healthier community.

Who is eligible?

Condominium/townhouse neighborhood associations abutting public roadway within the City of Coral Springs.
Single-family neighborhoods. These corporations must have either a homeowners or neighborhood association and be established as a not-for-profit corporation pursuant to Chapter 617.301-312, Florida Statutes.
Active Neighborhood Associations/Organizations and Homeowner Associations within the City of Coral Springs registered with the Community Development Division Neighborhood Division.
Project must be located within a community that is at least five years old. (The average ages of the homes are greater than five years old.)

All projects must be visible and accessible from a public road.

What type of project is eligible?

The neighborhood improvements must benefit the entire neighborhood or community and demonstrate the direct involvement of the neighborhood residents (all project proposals must include members of the neighborhood in the identification, planning and execution of the project). Program funds cannot be used to replace the organization’s current operating budget.

Additionally, no project should benefit an individual more than it would the entire neighborhood. Examples of projects that are eligible for funding: low water use landscape projects, removal of nuisance species, subdivision signs, enhanced lighting, tree canopy replacement or landscape rehabilitation, and safety projects. Landscape materials must contain a minimum 50% Florida native species or be a Florida friendly design as defined in the City of Coral Springs Land Development Code Section 250832 (14).

The neighborhood contribution may include cash contributions, donations of materials, professional services such as engineering, construction, or sweat equity contributed by neighborhood residents or businesses. (Note: a professional license may be required for some contributions.)

What type of project is NOT eligible?

Funds cannot be used for maintenance-type projects. Maintenance includes (but is not limited to): resealing or repaving streets, routine painting of walls or fences, trimming trees and/or shrubs and installing improvements required as part of the city code (unless approved by the city forester).

Terms of a Neighborhood Partnership Agreement

Each neighborhood association will be expected to match 100% of the value of the city’s contribution. The city’s contribution may include in-kind services, such as labor and materials used by city work crews as well as cash contributions.

The neighborhood contribution may include cash contributions as well as sweat equity contributed by neighborhood residents.

Grants will be capped at $5,000. Exceptions will be made only when the public benefit to the community outside of the neighborhood warrants additional investment and will be made only for improvements to city-owned property such as parks or medians.

NOTE: Twenty percent (20%) of the total grant award will be withheld until final project completion and inspection. This requirement may be waived if the neighborhood is performing sweat-equity for project match.

Grant Limit, Collection and Disbursement of Funds, Deadlines

Grantee Must Be an Established Entity

Neighborhood partnership grant agreements shall only be entered into with active homeowners associations established pursuant to Chapter 720, Florida Statutes, as amended from time to time. City staff may request and review any/all financial information and/or other documentation of the homeowners association. Upon review of the financial information and/or other documents, the city may require the homeowners association to provide adequate assurances, including, but not limited to, obtaining a bond, to ensure that all improvements will be properly installed and maintained.

Collection and Disbursement of Funds

The city encourages all neighborhood associations to collect and disburse all monies collected for the purpose of joint partnership agreements. There may occasionally be extenuating circumstances where the neighborhood association is not equipped to collect the money themselves. In these cases, the city will hold the funds in a separate account until the association’s bank account is open and ready to accept funds. All funds are to be spent or encumbered within one year of approval.

Project Monitoring

City staff will continually monitor the partnership to ensure adequate maintenance. All landscaping completed, as part of a neighborhood partnership must be guaranteed for at least one year. Landscape materials purchased with partnership funds should not be removed for at least two years after completion of the partnership, except for maintenance or prior approval from the city forester. Capital improvements (signs, curbing, lighting, pavers, etc.) should not be removed for a minimum of five years following the completion of the project. Alterations such as those listed above, may require a permit and approval from city staff.

Application Deadlines

All applications must be submitted by the approved deadline dates as established by the city administration. Applications will be accepted no later than 4:00 p.m. or postmarked by 4:00 p.m. on the deadline date. Applications should be mailed or delivered to:

City of Coral Springs
Community Development Division
9500 W. Sample Road
Coral Springs, Florida 33065

Funding Priorities

Funding Priorities

When there are more projects requested than funding will allow, the following priorities will be used to determine which projects will be funded.

Neighborhoods which have not received partnership funds in the past. Projects, which impact major thoroughfares, will receive a higher priority than those which impact interior streets.
Projects which serve to revitalize older or declining neighborhoods.
Neighborhood associations and homeowner association who serve larger numbers of residents will have a higher priority than those serving fewer residents will.

Each project will be evaluated on the basis of how well it addresses the Neighborhood Partnership Program’s main purpose of improving its neighborhood/community (see Evaluation Criteria). One project per year may be funded through a Neighborhood Partnership Program matching grant.

Selection/Notification

Selection and Notification

Applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the Community Development staff to insure that minimum criteria have been met. Any group that does not meet these standards will be notified at that time.

The remaining applications will be submitted for review to the city’s selection committee. The selection committee is comprised of representatives from the following city departments: Parks and Recreation, Community Development, Police, Code Enforcement, Building and Public Works. If approved by the Committee, the partnership is presented to the City Commission for final approval and a formal agreement is executed.

Neighborhood Proposal

The neighborhood association will submit a work plan with a complete description of the project and subsequent maintenance. Staff will assist the neighborhood in establishing a viable plan.

A meeting with staff is recommended prior to submittal of a matching grant. The work plan will be used as a guide for drafting the formal agreement, and will include the following:

Contact Names and Association Description – The names and telephone numbers of officers of the association with whom the City will enter into the agreement. Included in this portion of the work plan will be the date of incorporation, the association boundaries, and the number of residents represented by the association.
Project Purpose – How will this project benefit the neighborhood and its residents? This shall include what problems the project is to solve, and how it will solve them.
Project Plan – Provide a brief description of the proposed neighborhood project including a timeline for completion of the project.
Project Funding – Provide a brief description of how the project will be funded. Include how the cost estimate was developed, the amount of City funding requested, the amount of matching funds supplied by the association, and the make-up of the funding (cash, sweat equity, materials, etc.)
Maintenance Plan – The maintenance plan should include a description of ongoing maintenance for the project. Materials that do not require a high level of maintenance should be used. All landscaping materials must be guaranteed for at least one year. Staff will ensure through this aspect of the work plan that the project improvement will not act to change the current level of maintenance performed by the City for areas the City currently maintains. If the City agrees to maintain the improvement, it will be at a minimal level, i.e., without replacement of annuals, with infrequent maintenance schedules, etc.
Community Involvement – Community involvement is necessary to build a good neighborhood. A block party, neighborhood get-together, planting, or the development of a community newsletter is just a few examples of how this requirement can be completed.

Other Items to Include:

Minutes from the meeting where the proposed project was approved by the association or organization. Photographs of the proposed project area.
Plans or maps indicating the project in relation to the neighborhood and surrounding community.
Letters of authorization from appropriate agencies, where applicable. (Property owners of property to be improved or abutting the project, utility companies, etc.).
A minimum of three estimates for all work except landscaping utilizing the City of Coral Springs fair market value guide or approval from the Community Development Division.
If CDBG funding is involved additional requirements must be met. City staff will provide this information to eligible applicants.

Evaluation Criteria

(The following criteria are used by the City’s Neighborhood Partnership Committee to rank proposals)

Criteria	Explanation of Criteria
Supports Neighborhood Partnership Program Mission	To stimulate and enhance neighborhood vitality and customer satisfaction by addressing the concerns and special needs of neighborhoods through progressive, collaborative planning.
Neighborhood Status/ Maturity	Applications requesting funds are rated according to the maturity of the neighborhood or demonstration of need.
Community Value and Appearance	Projects should benefit the city by improving the quality of life in the neighborhood through beautification, education, enhancement or infrastructure repair.
Other	Neighborhoods not previously funded.
Project Efficiency	Cost effectiveness, realistic/achievable plan, sufficient funds, maintenance of project. Letters of intent for in-kind donations
Community Involvement	Active involvement of residents within the neighborhood with the proposed project. (Block party, sweat equity, planting projects, etc)
Environmental Value	Contributes to nuisance species removal, noise abatement, visual screening, water improvements and/or the correction of other environmental problems. (50% native or Florida friendly plants 10pts.)

Ten Steps to Success

Step 1 - Residents identify an area within their neighborhood that is in need of improvement and meets the criteria for a matching grant.

Step 2 - Residents form a Neighborhood Association, Homeowners Association or Neighborhood Organization and register with the Community Development Division as an active organization.

Step 3 - City staff work with neighborhood leaders on preliminary concepts and begin drafting a work plan.

Step 4 - The neighborhood leaders present the work plan to the neighborhood. If the association is a new one, city staff will assist by mailing notification of when and where the neighborhood will vote on the project. The city requires that all residents be notified of a potential partnership project, and that 51% of those in attendance at the meeting vote in favor of the project in order for funding to be recommended. Proxy votes may be utilized. In the case of an active homeowners association, the board may vote in favor of the project on behalf of their constituency.

Step 5 - Apply for the city’s Neighborhood Partnership matching grant program. Receive notification of award.

Step 6 - The neighborhood begins collecting funds to match the city’s grant as identified in the work plan.

Step 7 - The corporation must provide evidence that the funds have been collected. City staff and the neighborhood association (corporation) works together to complete the Neighborhood Partnership Program Agreement.

Step 8 - The agreement is presented to the City Commission for its approval.

Step 9 - Apply for County or city permits, if necessary.

Step 10 - Submit final project report upon completion

Contact Us

Phone
954-344-1114
Email
mlmsmith@coralsprings.gov