“There’s a rich history here. If you don’t do anything to preserve it, it’s gone.”

Newspaper clipping from The Palm Beach Post, September 3rd, 2003.

Click on images to enlarge: 

The CDC is not to be confused with Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). The CDC went defunct many years ago.

“One part of the plan will involve interviewing lifelong residents to compile an oral history of the neighborhood.”

The plan, “[A]ims to boost community pride, improve property values and stave off gentrification.”*

“The Osborne neighborhood is one of the target areas for the CDC, a nonprofit organization charged with improving blighted areas of the city.”

*Let’s take on that loaded word. . .

‘Gentrification’ is called a “loaded word” in that it’s used to confuse and frighten the public (learn more about that by clicking on this link).

There is no accepted definition of that word and therefore fuels the “politics of fear” just like another loaded word used to confuse and frighten the public: ‘sanctuary city’.

Whilst on the topic of ‘gentrification’, Joan Oliva became the executive director of the CRA back in January 2008 and she remains the leader of that agency to this day.

And also to this day former members of the CDC criticize the CRA for increasing property values which have steadily risen in this City. Ironically, as cited in the newspaper clipping above, one of the goals of the CDC was to “improve property values” whilst at the same time promising to ‘stave off gentrification’.


Ironic is it not?


The former CDC never accomplished much and not much remains from what they did actually do. However, how much do you know about the $23M NSP2 Grant the CRA received in 2010? Learn more about that below.

Enjoy the video (below) about the CRA’s NSP2 Grant. You’ll recognize more than a few people if you were here in Lake Worth during that time. At one point, if you pay close attention, you’ll see a few campaign yard signs of people you might know, including a current city commissioner. About the video:


“This video is one in a series of case study videos intended for NSP grantees and partners interested in learning about how other grantees are successfully implementing NSP. In Lake Worth, FL, the NSP2 consortium has taken a comprehensive approach in their stabilization efforts. Nonprofits and community leaders featured in this video demonstrate the keys to running their NSP program, including homebuyer counseling, home-purchase assistance, and connecting stabilization with broader economic development and revitalization initiatives such as the Cultural Renaissance Program.”





Now, about all those people who thought the NSP2 was a bad idea, like former city commissioners who didn’t make the effort to apply for the grant. But the CRA did step up and apply. Here is an excerpt from this blog:


“Both the City and the CRA were eligible to apply for the funds. Leading up to the grant application’s deadline, it became apparent that the City administration (Susan Stanton was the city manager in September 2009) and the City Commission (which included Cara Jennings, JoAnn Golden, and Susan Mulvehill) had demonstrated no interest in assisting the CRA or applying for the grant money itself. Wanting to make sure Lake Worth didn’t miss out on this opportunity to address slum and blight in a big way the CRA went ahead and made the application itself, without any help from the City Commission at the time.”


Want to learn more about Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency? Click on this link.