In rural Baxter, Minnesota, HUD staff met with 175 community members representing area youth, seniors, business leaders, and residents who had gathered to help guide the Region 5 Resilient Region planning process. Their HUD grant is currently supporting 26 different projects in the area, all of which focus on diversifying the local economy beyond tourism. These projects also promote energy retrofits, establish local food enterprises, and assist in developing housing and transportation-related initiatives.
The HUD team also visited the Twin Cities and attended a meeting of 200 community leaders and foundations to look at the progress that has been made on the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, a group of local and national funders that support the Central Corridor Light Rail Line. Its member foundations work with community groups and public agencies to encourage collaboration and further investment as well as larger planning efforts “beyond the rail”. This meeting was intended to spotlight various ongoing efforts to support local businesses and create strong neighborhoods throughout the entire corridor.
For more on the Region 5 Resilient Region process, visit the Region Five Development Commission.
To learn more about the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, visit their site.
For more on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, go to https://smartgrowthamerica.org/partnership.