SUNNYSIDE UP-CNRC

Establishment of Sunnyside Tax Increment Financing District-This included coordination with West Virginia Development Office, Bond Attorneys, Financial Advisors, Project Engineer, City Engineering Department.  Sunnyside Up also coordinated the Request for Qualifications process and advised on the design, mapping and engineering of the TIF district.

Completion of 1st Phase of the Sunnyside Tax Increment Financing Project-This project included new sidewalks, new retaining walls, two new bus stops at 1st and 4th Streets, new LED energy efficient street lighting, solar powered trash containers and new plaza area at Summit Hall.  Over $1.4 Million in infrastructure improvements were developed and final completion of Phase One was in December of 2010.

Development and Planning Activities-Development of large projects requires a partnership between development officials, city planners, property owners and others to bring about the development of successful projects.  Sunnyside Up has worked with numerous national developers to develop projects in the Sunnyside neighborhood.  Mountaineer Place by Bodner Development of Indianapolis, Indiana; Beech View Place, LLC by Tom Gianitas of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania; American Campus Communities of Austin, Texas are a few of the many developers working in the Sunnyside neighborhood. Sunnyside Up regularly meets with the City of Morgantown Planning Department to work with proposed projects.   

Cleaning Unopened Right-a-Ways-Sunnyside Up coordinated the cleaning and brush removal of the unopened right-a-ways in the Sunnyside neighborhood.  These overgrown areas were filled with trash and debris and were impassable.  Sunnyside Up paid for a contract tree service to cut and remove overgrown trees and brush along with tons of trash.

Maintenance of Sidewalks-Sunnyside Up has used Manpower Temporary workers and volunteers to clean and improve sidewalks in the Sunnyside neighborhood.  Removing overgrown grass from sidewalks has increased the walking surface of hundreds of square feet of existing sidewalk.

Volunteer Cleanup Events-Sunnyside Up has organized over 50 cleanup events involving over 1200 individual volunteers.  These volunteers have removed tons of trash and debris from the neighborhood.  These efforts have also had the impact of changing the culture in the Sunnyside neighborhood.  Each successive cleanup has resulted in fewer bags of litter and trash from the neighborhood.  Sunnyside Up provides tools, bags, gloves and other items to make the cleanup events a success.  Sunnyside Up also coordinates with organizations such as the WVU Center for Civic Engagement and the WVU Student Government Association to provide community service credit for WVU students.  Safety is a primary concern when working with volunteer groups and Sunnyside Up has never had an accident or injury to a volunteer due to our stringent safety requirements. 

Grant Programs-Sunnyside Up has developed several programs to leverage investment by property owners and landlords. 

·         The Facade Grant Program awards matching grants for investment on the exterior of the property.  Items like siding, windows, doors, and other improvements are eligible for up to $3000 in matching grants.

·         The Sidewalk Grant Program awards matching grants for replacement and installation of sidewalks and retaining walls.  The program provides up to $3000 in matching grants.

·         Non-TIF Infrastructure Program-This program provides funds for infrastructure needs that are outside of the TIF project area.  Storm drainage, water and sewer improvements are eligible for this program.  Matching Grants of up to $7500 are available under this program.

·         Graffiti Reward Program-In order to reduce the incidence of graffiti and other vandalism, Sunnyside Up offers rewards of up to $500 for the arrest and conviction of persons responsible for graffiti and vandalism. 

·         West Virginia Housing Development Fund-Sunnyside Up works with the West Virginia Housing Development Fund to provide loans of up to $30,000 at a low interest rate to improve rental housing in the Sunnyside neighborhood.

Zip Car-Sunnyside Up provided funding to locate a Zip Car in the Sunnyside neighborhood.  This program has proven successful in providing short term rental vehicles to students, faculty and others which reduces the need for cars in the neighborhood.  Sunnyside Up assisted in marketing the ZipCar concept in the Sunnyside neighborhood.

Advance Planning for Park and Green Space-Sunnyside Up has funded and developed plans for possible park areas and green space in the Sunnyside neighborhood.  On resident surveys and discussions during the development of the Comprehensive Plan, lack of green space and parks were cited to be a critical need in the Sunnyside neighborhood.  Sunnyside Up is working with the WVU Landscape Architecture Department to develop concepts and ideas for development of these facilities.  Classes in 2010, took on the Sunnyside green space and park development as a class project.

Property Database Program-Sunnyside Up has utilized the services of an intern through the national non-profit Neighborworks, Inc. to develop a database of all properties in the Sunnyside neighborhood.  This database is an online resource for developers, students, parents, property owners and others to obtain information on properties in Sunnyside.

Business Database Program-Sunnyside Up has developed a business database for the entire Sunnyside neighborhood.  This database was developed by a student intern and lists each Sunnyside business and the type of business.  Sunnyside Up will utilize this database to connect businesses and coordinate events and other activities.

Dumpster Painting Program-Sunnyside Up undertook the repainting of every dumpster in the Sunnyside neighborhood to improve the appearance and reduce vandalism and fires in the neighborhood.  Dumpster burning is a pervasive problem in the neighborhood and one that is both a safety and appearance problem.  Sunnyside Up works with the City of Morgantown Fire Department and Republic Waste to reduce the problem of fires and graffiti.

Student Interns-Sunnyside Up regularly uses both paid and unpaid interns to complete various projects in the neighborhood.  In the past four years over 20 interns have worked for Sunnyside Up and provided excellent service to the organization.  The use of interns allows Sunnyside Up to provide additional services at a very affordable cost.  Generally, interns are graduate level students working on advanced degrees, but there have been some very talented undergraduates who have contributed greatly to Sunnyside Up.

Sunnyside Neighborhood Association-Sunnyside Up took an active role in organizing and supporting the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association.  Numerous meetings and communication with neighborhood residents led to the formation of the association and Charlie Russell, a resident of Sunnyside was chosen to lead the initial year of the organization.  The Sunnyside Neighborhood Association has led several cleanup campaigns and sponsored the "Hoop Shoot for the United Way" in 2010.  Sunnyside Up continues to support this effort and is working with additional students who are interested in leadership roles in the organization.

Website and Social Media-Sunnyside Up developed the Sunnyside Up website and Facebook page as a way of communication with students, residents, property owners and developers.  This has proven to be an effective communication tool and assists in organizing groups for cleanups and other events.  It has also proven to be a good tool to introduce national developers to the Sunnyside neighborhood. 

Rental Housing Workshop-Rachel Watson, a graduate Public Health student worked as an intern for Sunnyside Up and organized the 1st Annual Rental Housing Workshop during the summer of 2010.  This workshop brought together landlords, property owners, residents, students, WVU officials, City of Morgantown officials and others to discuss issues affecting rental housing in Morgantown.  This workshop was well received and the evaluations overwhelming requested that it be repeated on an annual basis.

Student Government Association-Sunnyside Up has maintained regular contact and served as a mentor to several student governors through the WVU Leadership Studies program.  Sunnyside Up has worked with each student body president for the past four years.  In 2009, Sunnyside Up Executive Director Jim Hunt was awarded the Richard T. Feller Distinguished Alumni Award for his commitment to off-campus housing issues and for being a partner with the student body.

International Town-Gown Association-Sunnyside Up is a member of the International Town Gown Association and has presented at the national conference in Ames, Iowa.  This organization brings together officials from university communities throughout the United States.  Sunnyside Up has been selected to present a program on sustainability in Boulder, Colorado in 2011.

Brownfield Redevelopment Program-Sunnyside Up is working with the WVU Brownfields group to develop redevelopment plans for the Beaumont Glass Factory site.  This property is currently overgrown and graffiti covered.  By working to develop a plan for revitalization, this valuable property can be reused as a multi-use facility.

Blue Curb Parking Program-Sunnyside Up is working to institute a blue curb program for parking control in the Sunnyside neighborhood.  This program will improve access to parking and assist in redevelopment of property in the neighborhood.

Cleaning and Maintenance of the Caperton Rail Trail-Sunnyside Up instituted a program to clean and maintain the section of rail trail in the Sunnyside neighborhood.  Cutting brush and removing tons of debris, improved access and use of the trail.