+ What is PB 360 Placemaking?
PB: Participatory Budgeting – a community-led process for budget decision-making 360: $360,000 in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds allocated for this project. Placemaking: The process of making the places we live, work, and play a place we want to be and are proud to show off to others.
PB 360 Placemaking is a project in the Niagara Falls Community Development 2018 Annual Action Plan to generate placemaking efforts in three selected neighborhoods in Niagara Falls: North End, Middle Pine, and South End.
+ Why do PB 360 Placemaking?
PB gives more control to residents on how federal funds are spent. Placemaking requires residents’ experience, knowledge, and expertise to come up with ideas and build momentum to create a better place around them. Niagara Falls Community Development has used CDBG funds for public space improvement projects in low-moderate income areas for decades. Niagara Falls Community Development believes in using these practices to give residents more power and say in how we spend CDBG funds to improve Niagara Falls.
+ How does it work?
Each selected neighborhood has $120,000 allocated for placemaking projects. Residents participate in Idea Sessions to provide ideas that will be put to a public vote. Niagara Falls Community Development narrows down those ideas into a Ballot. The Ballot goes to public vote for all city residents. Voting takes place at community events throughout the city. When voting is complete, the votes are tallied for each neighborhood. The projects with the highest votes in each neighborhood will be funded first, the project with the next highest vote in each neighborhood will be funded, until each neighborhood has $120,000 worth of project investment selected by the vote count. Niagara Falls Community Development will announce the results and then get to work with residents on making those projects a reality.
+ Why were the three selected neighborhoods chosen?
$360,000 seems like a lot, but that money can be spent very quickly. Niagara Falls Community Development is focusing placemaking efforts in smaller areas so that the new projects build on one another, as well as on previous projects in order to support and complement public and private investments in these neighborhoods.
+ Why aren't there more details to the ballot items?
PB 360 is a way for residents to design and decide how $120,000 will be used in the three selected neighborhoods. Before any work can be done, Niagara Falls Community Development needs to know what work will be done. That's where you come in with your vote. The ballot items are more refined ideas from the Idea Sessions. Winning ballot items will become projects. Once the projects are selected, Niagara Falls Community Development will work with residents and stakeholders to create the details of those projects.
+ When will winning projects be implemented?
It depends on the projects themselves. Niagara Falls Community Development will begin the public participation process and detailed planning as soon as the winning projects are announced. All winning projects will be ready for the 2019 construction season schedule, but specific dates are not possible to provide at this time.
+ Why didn't my idea make it to the ballot?
Your idea may not have received enough initial interest from the Idea Sessions or your idea is not elgible for federal funding. PB 360 Placemaking is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), specifically through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds allocated in the City's 2018 Annual Action Plan. We have to follow federal regulations for how funds are spent and your idea may not have fit those regulations. Don't despair though - we want to find alternative ways to fund your ideas! If you want to talk more, please reach out to us using the contact form below and we can get into the details.
Still have questions? Submit them using the form below and we'll get back to you.