From Visioning to Planning: An Update on choice

We have some exciting updates to share with you about what the East University Avenue Choice Neighborhood team has been up to this summer! 

What's Been Happening?

Over the last few months, we have been busy gathering feedback from our community members who live, work, and spend time in the East University Avenue Choice Neighborhood. This includes communities in Greater Duval, North Lincoln Heights, Lincoln Estates, and Cone Park. We wanted to know what community members’ hopes and priorities are for how we can make the East University Avenue Choice Neighborhood and East Gainesville an even better place to live, work, and grow. We ran a community survey from March to June and got nearly 500 responses! That's amazing!

We made sure to spread the word about the survey through local businesses, schools, community centers, neighborhood events, and even on social media. It was great to see so many people get involved and we appreciate the time everyone spent to share their ideas. You can find the results on our website and we’ll be sharing key insights on social media!

Digging Deeper with Pine Meadows and Lake Terrace Residents

We’ve also been doing another survey that’s just for our neighbors living in GHA’s Pine Meadows and Lake Terrace communities. This survey is longer and asks more detailed questions about what residents want for their homes, families, and neighborhood. Our awesome GHA Resident Services team and Community Ambassadors have been working really hard to get as many people as possible to fill out this survey. They have been knocking on doors, hosting events, and engaging with neighbors at every opportunity. We also hosted a Seafood & Surveys Night at Pine Meadows to celebrate Black Music Month with GHA residents in June! Our goal is to get at least 70% of households to share their thoughts through the survey - and we’re almost there! Every household that completed the survey gets $25 off their next month's rent and a chance to win cash prizes.

What's Next?

Now that we're wrapping up the surveys, we're almost ready for the next big step! This fall, we’ll be bringing together groups of residents, business owners, community organizations, government officials, and other stakeholders from across the Choice Neighborhood, city and county to analyze the survey results and help turn them into strategies for the East University Avenue Choice Neighborhood Plan. These strategies will help guide the Gainesville Housing Authority, City of Gainesville, and other community partners to take action to improve the future of our community. With the survey results in, we’re also exploring potential ideas and partnerships for the Early Action Activity, which will be announced this Fall!

We Need Your Help!

We need people like you to join these working groups to help make the best plan possible! If you’re a community member in Pine Meadows, Lake Terrace, Greater Duval, North Lincoln Heights, Lincoln Estates, Cone Park, Cedar Grove or Forest Pines, we would love for you to join! The groups will meet 3 or 4 times in the fall of 2024, and each meeting will last about 2 hours.

Ready to make a difference in your community? Sign up to join a working group at this link. Together, we can create a plan to make our community’s vision for the East University Avenue Choice Neighborhood a reality! Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Questions, concerns, or ideas? Reach out to a member of our team:




Empowering Community Voices: Launching the Ambassador Training Program in East Gainesville

April 19, 2024

In East Gainesville, the future of Pine Meadows and Lake Terrace are unfolding, guided by the voices and leadership of our community ambassadors. Last week marked the launch session of our Community Ambassador Training, a cornerstone of our efforts to ensure that residents are at the center of our planning and decision-making processes.

Why Focus on Resident Ambassador Leadership?

The heart of the Choice Neighborhood Initiative is its people. In East Gainesville, where decades of disinvestment in infrastructure and services have created extreme inequities, the empowerment of local voices through ambassador leadership is critical. Our ambassadors are more than liaisons; they are advocates, visionaries, and the driving force behind sustainable community development.

Laying the Foundation for Change

Our kickoff session was charged with energy and purpose, establishing the foundation for what will be a program of community-led change. Key highlights included:

  • Introducing the Choice Neighborhoods Grant’s goals, with a focus on revitalizing equitable housing and investment opportunities in the surrounding neighborhood through community-driven approaches.

  • Reflecting on successful revitalization efforts like those in New Orleans and Columbus, ambassadors began to visualize and discuss what real justice-driven outcomes could look like for the East Gainesville community.

  • Recognizing that it is essential for each ambassador to embrace their role in leading initiatives that ensure ongoing community engagement and ownership over the planning process.

This training is just the beginning of a series of in-depth engagements designed to empower our ambassadors with knowledge and strategies across various topics, from housing redevelopment to economic empowerment and cultural heritage preservation. Their active participation and leadership will critically shape the interventions and outcomes of the Choice Neighborhood Initiative in East Gainesville.

Stay tuned for more updates as we move forward, and thank you to everyone who has joined us in this vital initiative.


Gainesville Housing Authority Hosts Black History Month Program

Gainesville Sun, Voleer Thomas — 2/26/24

“Gainesville Housing Authority residents learned about Black history in Gainesville, community resources and the Choice Neighborhood grant during a Black History Month program held Saturday at the Pine Meadows Community Center at 2626 E. University Ave.”

Gainesville Housing Authority Host Its Resident Appreciation Day To Encourage Dialogue

Gainesville Sun, Voleer Thomas — 11/16/23

“Gainesville Housing Authority residents and an urban planner discussed how government funds should be used to revitalize an area of east Gainesville. The discussion was held as part of the GHA's Resident Appreciation Day held Wednesday at the Strive 4 Success Center at Pine Meadows at 2626 E. University Ave.”

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