When Cross Keys Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative members have their monthly meetings, it’s guaranteed there will be avid discussion about pressing issues in the community, from economic development to education. Members come from a variety of backgrounds: long-time residents who have witnessed two or three decades of changes, newer residents becoming involved in their community, community leaders who help residents, and so on.
Members have different issues they hold close to their hearts, such as improving education for youth, quality affordable housing and growing small businesses. One thing members do have in common is their drive to revitalize their neighborhood.
The Cross Keys area is geographically defined by the Cross Keys High School district, a stretch of Buford Highway that includes Doraville, Brookhaven, Chamblee and unincorporated DeKalb County. The initiative takes pride in the rich culture of the neighborhood’s immigrant communities, with many thriving, small, Asian and Hispanic businesses; diverse residents, and countless cultural experiences.
The area has not always been this way. Asian and then Hispanic immigrants only began moving to the area in the last 30 years. The population change shifted community needs and resources. This shift has shaped focuses of the Cross Keys initiative.
The organization first convened in 2012 under the guidance of the DeKalb Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative, then a pilot program. It seeks to foster a collaborative, community-based approach to improving the quality of life in local neighborhoods. Members include residents, city and county officials, faith leaders, leaders from the Asian American and Pacific Islander and Latino communities, and school administrators.
With the help of the Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative, the group developed a quality of life plan with strategies that align with its overall mission and vision.
The Cross Keys initiative promotes awareness and increases access to community assets that support human, economic and community development. After three years, it is starting to see changes.
Last year, the group hosted a soccer tournament at Honeysuckle Park in Doraville. More than 400 people came out to support the event. The event influenced Doraville’s decision to install a mini-pitch soccer field at the park and start the park’s youth soccer league, affordable to residents. The Cross Keys initiative is proud of these additions to the Doraville Parks and Recreation Department.
Moreover, the initiative created opportunities for the community to disburse funds for projects that focused on youth and adult education, beautification, public space utilization and the creation of interactive community events. For example, the Doraville Unity Garden expanded a community garden to create an area for the neighborhood to congregate.
The Buford Highway corridor is experiencing rapid changes. With the influence of community groups like the Cross Keys initiative, residents have opportunities to take action. Cross Keys seeks expand its membership and resources to create more opportunities for stakeholders to interact and support the revitalization of the corridor. An increase in active residents and unification of the area will lead to a more prosperous and thriving neighborhood.
For more information about the Cross Keys Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative, contact Victoria Huynh at 770-936-0969 or victoria.huynh@cpacs.org. For the DeKalb Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative, contact Rodney Reese at 404-371-2576 or rreese@dekalbcountyga.gov.
Sarah Brechin is the AmeriCorps VISTA program coordinator for the Center for Pan Asian Community Services Inc.
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