City begins planning for neighborhood revitalization

Wichita Falls will embark on a multi-year effort to revitalize declining older neighborhoods in the city’s central section.

Plans were formed after city staff conducted meetings with residents beginning this past September and were presented Tuesday to the City Council.

The area includes neighborhoods south of Seymour Highway, west of Brook Avenue, north of the Kell Freeway and east of Kemp Boulevard.  Many of the homes in these neighborhoods are a century old. Assistant City Manager Paul Menzies said 70 percent of the homes are now rentals.

Development Services Director Terry Floyd said responses from residents ranged from sweeping to specific. People who participated wanted to preserve existing structures and trees and improve the quality of life.

As a result, Floyd presented specific suggestions to include dedicating a code enforcement officer to the area and enhancing the property maintenance code.

“We heard this extensively,” Floyd said.

Another complaint residents had was junk cars. Floyd suggested revisions to the city’s Inoperable Vehicles Ordinance.

“Other cities have made some revisions to their ordinances to actually help remove them instead of just ticketing them,” he said.

He also suggested the council might consider a rental registration program.

“There are many, many good landlords in the area. We also have landlords that do not take good care of their property.”

Floyd said the rental registration program would be similar in some ways to the Section 8 voucher program and would include an inspector dedicated to ensuring the minimum basics of a household are met.

“Does it have heat? Does it have an air-conditioning source? Are the roofs maintained so they don’t leak or have holes in them? Is it free of rodents?” Floyd said.

He said the program would adhere to a standard set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Some of our facilities do not meet that,” he said.

Floyd said that farther down the road the city might want to consider a façade renovation program to improved appearances of structures. He also said use of federal grants has been proposed for improvement of Bridwell Park, the largest park in the area. He said another suggestion from residents was to clear tree branches away from streetlights to improve night lighting.

He said the city is talking with the Wichita Falls Independent School District about the future of the Wichita Falls High School property that is located in the area and is due to be decommissioned when two new high school open in 2024.

Floyd’s presentation Tuesday was informational only and councilors took no action.