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Canyon Corridor Weed and Seed
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Mission
Weed and Seed
In 2006 the Canyon Corridor community was designated a Weed and Seed Site by the US Department of Justice (USDOJ), making this area eligible for up to five years of funding and technical assistance from the USDOJ. Weed and Seed, a community-based strategy, is an innovative, comprehensive multiagency approach to law enforcement, crime prevention, and community revitalization. Weed and Seed is foremost a strategy-rather than a grant program-that aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in designated high-crime neighborhoods across the country. The strategy involves a two-pronged approach: law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate in "weeding out" violent criminals and drug abusers, and public agencies and community-based private organizations collaborate to "seed" much-needed human services, including prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood restoration programs. A community-oriented policing component bridges the weeding and seeding elements.
Safe Haven (Community Center)
All Weed and Seed sites have at least one “Safe Haven,” which is a multi-service center where a variety of youth and adult services are coordinated in a highly visible, accessible facility. Our Safe Haven is at 2850 W. Camelback (Suite 120), in the heart of our neighborhood, and serves as our center of operations and the office for our Site Coordinator, Ms. Nellie Ramon. It can be used for group meetings or classes or other activities by neighborhood groups and Weed and Seed agencies. Operation of the Safe Haven is overseen by a neighborhood-based not-for-profit organization, the Canyon Corridor Community Coalition.
Our Area and Our Residents
The Canyon Corridor Community (See Map) is located in west-central Phoenix, Arizona in a two square mile area extending from the I-17 freeway to 35th Avenue, and from Indian School to Missouri. There are two active neighborhood organizations in the area, the Granada Neighborhood Association (occupying the square mile bounded by 27th - 35th Avenues, and Camelback Road - Indian School Road) and the Cordova Neighborhood Association (serving the area 27th - 35th Avenues, and Missouri Avenue - Camelback Road).
Land Use, Residential and Commercial - Up through World War II this area was mostly irrigated farmland. By the mid- 50's several single-family residential subdivisions had been built. The predominant (by number of parcels if not actual acreage) land use in the area is medium density residential (with approximately 41 % single-family detached units, 56% multi-family units - both owned and rented - and 3% mobile homes). Our pattern of commercial development can be traced back to the planning models of the 1950's which provided narrow depth lots (strip commercial) along the major corridors, especially along 27th Avenue and Camelback Road. We have a couple of small (less than 10 acres) retail malls, one at the northeast corner of 35th Avenue and Camelback (College Park Plaza), and the other at the southwest corner of 27th Avenue and Camelback (Northwest Village Shopping Center). At the northeast corner of 27th Avenue and Camelback sits a now vacant former car dealership, ten acres of prime commercial real estate. We have over 300 businesses in the community, most of which can be classified as micro-businesses, employing fewer than five people.
Educational institutions - A private Christian university, Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949. It occupies approximately 150 acres north and east of College Park Plaza at 35th Avenue and Camelback and currently has an enrollment of over 3,000 students (not including over 10,000 online students). We have one high school in the area, Bourgade Catholic High School. Most of the community's high school age youth attend public high school outside the area, especially Alhambra High School. We have two elementary schools, Granada Primary and Granada East (middle) school, serving children in the Granada neighborhood. Also, children who live outside the Granada neighborhood typically attend either the Montebello School or the Cordova Primary or Cordova Middle schools. These three schools are just outside the Canyon Corridor community boundaries.
Our residents - The Year 2000 Census put our population at 19,764, which was a dramatic increase of 51% over the previous census. It was during this period that there was a large migration from Mexico and Latin America, and the area's affordable housing provided housing opportunities for this migrant population. Our population is about 61% Hispanic ethnicity. By race we have 62% white, 5% black, 4% Native American, 5% Asian, and 24% Other or mixed races. We have a very young population, with 33% under age 17. The area's median household income of $28,466 is less than 70% of that of the City of Phoenix. In education, 28% of adults do not have high school diplomas, compared to 23% citywide. 58% of the population is renting their homes and 42% owns or is buying their homes. |
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