A new campaign being implemented by the city of Wildwood is being billed as an initiative to unite its residents.
The Unity Enhancement & Redevelopment Action Plan (URAP) is the city’s newest initiative to foster community outreach.
According to Wildwood Development Services Director Melanie Peavy, one of the goals of the program is to “incorporate the bad areas” into the city’s growth plans.
“The idea of the plan is to bring together all of the areas of the town and to improve the access so that certain areas are not shut off from the rest of the town,” said Peavy.
As part of the initiative, the city will develop a Citizens Advisory Committee to “encourage people to speak publicly” and to address commissioners.
“It’s a concentrated mess and we are working diligently to attract anyone who wants to participate in our Citizens Advisory Committee,” added Peavy.
Peavy indicated additional resources, including another code enforcement officer, have been expended in these sections of Wildwood as part of the ongoing effort to “get the areas cleaned up.”
A focal point of the initiative is to attract new businesses to “revamp the idea of that being a bad area” and to eliminate the “drug issues, noise issues, [and] speeding issues.”
Peavy went on to conclude that “getting restaurants, an assisted living facility” and other businesses would make it “impossible for people who do those kinds of things” to operate in those parts of Wildwood.
When asked what the city is doing to encourage businesses to move into perceived “bad areas,” Peavy indicated that incentives, including water and sewer credits, were small prices to pay for a business to invest and take ownership in their community.
Peavy said she plans on reaching out to local businesses in the coming weeks to gain some of their perspectives.
For those interested in taking part in or learning more about the Unity Enhancement & Redevelopment Action Plan, Peavy and staff will host a discussion on June 26 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Commission Conference Room 124 at Wildwood City Hall (100 N. Main St, Wildwood).
