ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – City leaders in St. Augustine want to hear from people who live, work or participate in an area of town called West City. They want to know your vision for revitalization.
According to city leaders, West City was once known as New Augustine--a historically African American Community.
Recommended Videos
Jennifer who lives in the West City area said she would like to see more improvement.
“I would like to see more Black businesses come here,” Jennifer said. “Recently there’s been a lot of businesses, but it’s not really cultural related,” Jennifer said.
Opinions like Jennifer’s are what the city is looking for when filling out its survey asking people what they want the area to look like in the future in terms of development and infrastructure.
Elijah George is a new business owner in the area. He said it’s important the city wants his and others’ input on improving West City.
“I think the sidewalks could be upgraded and improved. Crosswalks,” George said.
The survey is interactive. If you have an issue with a rundown building or bad infrastructure--you’ll want the city to know. You can click “add marker”, place where the issue is, add a comment, and click “submit”.
George and Jennifer said they hope the changes that come from the survey don’t force residents out of the area.
Jamie D. Perkins of the St. Augustine Neighborhood Services and Community Redevelopment Agency talked about supporting the already existing residents.
“I would love to address how we stabilize those residents that are already there, by creating programming and initiatives that help them make sure that they are not impacted in a negative way,” Perkins said.
Click here to fill out the survey.
A representative with the city will be at the West King Market until 7 p.m. to answer questions about the survey.