Brownsville Moving Forward

Brownsville Moving Forward (BMF) was formed for a Choice Neighborhood Grant competition that the Brownsville Housing Authority, University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, the Brownsville Independent School District, the Brownsville Public Utilties Board and the City of Brownsville hope will transform the Buena Vista housing, people and neighborhood.  The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Devlelopment is making two types of grants available - planning and implementation.  BMF is applying for the Implementation Grant - an amount of $31 million. Mata*Garcia Architects LLP has been selected to assist the five entities in providing architectural solutions for their proposal.

A CALL TO ACTION: The Brownsville Comprehensive Plan provides a foundation for guiding the future growth and development of the City that is consistent with the vision and goals of the community.

The project is to provide sustainable employment opportunities, sustainable building features, public entities on-site to provide high quality levels of services, efficient and well maintained infrastructure systems designed to support economic development.

 Located on the site of the current Buena Vista Housing Complex, this mixed-use development is intended to provide its citizens with high levels of educational attainment and workforce skills, accessibility to healthcare, revitalization of the neighborhood, a live-work environment, and engaged community and local institutions that will work cooperatively toward the community's vision.

 Providing an equitable community, it is the intent of the project to provide all residents access to a high quality of life as well as economic benefits.

The Buena Vista neighborhood park will provide residents the basis for a sustainable green community - one that protects and maintains its environmental resources and promotes environmental awareness and responsible resource use and recycling.

A special thanks to Dr. Antonio Juarez, Ed.D., Executive Director of the City of Brownsville Housing Authority, for his leadership, insight, and critical feedback as well as  project data used for this article.