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Great Neighborhoods Partnership
Getting to know your neighbors and being engaged in your community can be a rewarding experience for you and your neighbors. Organizing or joining a neighborhood group or association is a great way to get involved.
Purpose
Bentonville’s Great Neighborhoods Partnership connects the Mayor’s core goals of transparency and improved communication with residents to the Community Plan’s goal of stronger neighborhoods to establish Bentonville as a “great place to plant roots.”
Mission
Great communities are a collection of great neighborhoods. Great neighborhoods have these four characteristics:
friendly, safe, attractive, engaged
The mission of this initiative is to strengthen Bentonville by supporting and encouraging great neighborhood characteristics by:
- building bonds among residents (friendly);
- cultivating a sense of security and safety (safe);
- empowering residents to enhance their neighborhood (attractive); and,
- fostering communication between residents and the city (engaged).
Components
The Bentonville Great Neighborhood Partnership has four components:
- Neighborhood Planning & Support
- Neighborhood Partners
- Neighborhood Advisory Committee
- Neighborhood Programs
Click on the tabs below for more information about each component.
Please Note! This is a new program and is a work in progress. Details may change and adjust as we fine tune and expand resources and offerings.
Planning & Support
Comprehensive Planning staff provides assistance for neighborhood associations - those organizing or already organized. They provide resources and tips on neighborhood organizing, neighborhood events, and goal setting.
Neighborhood Organizing
The first step is to check if a neighborhood association (or property owner association) already exists in your area. Contact staff and they can help you make this determination. If one does exist, reach out to the contact person to see how to become involved.
If no association exists, talk to some of your neighbors to gauge interest in organizing. If there is interest, set up a meeting with a core group to discuss.
The key to a good neighborhood association is getting to know your neighbors and a good way to do this is through communication. A quick and efficient method is to setup a Facebook group page or use Nextdoor, a provide social network for your neighborhood. Door-to-door visits, while more time consuming, is an effective way to gather information, determine the level of interest in establishing a neighborhood association, and get to know your neighbors.
As the program grows, resources will be added to the webpage and made available. Contact staff for assistance in establishing a neighborhood association, help in determining appropriate geographical boundaries, and more information about the program.
Learn more with the
Neighborhood Organizing Guide
Planning and Goal Setting
Having goals for the association can help members feel they are working toward improving their neighborhood. Contact staff for assistance with prioritizing neighborhood goals and preparing a plan for implementation.
Support Materials
The city offers the preparation of neighborhood maps and other information for registered neighborhoods. Contact staff to request materials to help with organizing or goal setting.
Neighborhood Partners
Neighborhood Partners is a registry of active neighborhoods participating in the Great Neighborhoods Partnership that meet certain eligibility criteria. These can be existing neighborhood associations, property owner associations (POA), and homeowner associations (POA) or those neighborhoods just beginning to organize.
Partner Principles
The principles of participation in the Great Neighborhoods Partnership are:
Resident-led: Neighborhood residents must lead the process of organizing. The city provides assistance and programs, but does not take the lead in organizing.
Long-term commitment: Neighborhood residents must have a commitment to the association to ensure its resiliency over time.
Inclusive: Neighborhood events and programs must be inclusive of all residents, business and organizations that wish to participate.
Engaging Activities: Events, meetings and activities open to the entire neighborhood must be held on a regular basis.
Organizational Status
Neighborhood Partners can register in either an Activating or Active status, depending on which criteria they meet. Activating neighborhoods can change to the Active status upon meeting the criteria.
Eligibility Criteria | ||
---|---|---|
Criteria | Activating Neighborhoods just beginning to organize | Active Existing neighborhood associations, POA's or HOA's |
Approved neighborhood boundaries | X | X |
Adopted neighborhood name | X | X |
At least two meetings held annually | X | X |
Adopted bylaws | X | |
Elected officer | X | |
At least one neighborhood event per year | X |
Becoming a Great Neighborhoods Partner (PDF)
Great Neighborhoods Partner Registration Form (online form)
Neighborhood Advisory Committee
The Bentonville Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) will be established to facilitate communication between city council, city staff and neighborhoods. The NAC, made up of registered Neighborhood Partners, will provide feedback to and collaborate with the city to develop solutions on issues pertinent to neighborhoods.
The NAC will consists of:
- one voting representative from each active status Neighborhood Partner;
- one non-voting representative from each activating status Neighborhood Partner; and,
- one city council member.
Neighborhood Programs
Bentonville’s Great Neighborhoods Partnership will be offering programs to help neighborhood associations develop strong neighborhoods that are friendly, safe, attractive and engaged. The programs will be available to neighborhoods that are registered as a Great Neighborhoods Partner.
Below is a list of the programs we will be implementing over the next few months. As details for each program are finalized, information will be added to the website.
Details for these programs will be added soon!
Friendly
- Block Party Kit / Trailer
- Neighborhood Flyer Printing
Safe
- Customized Neighborhood Safety Plan
- Radar Speed Trailer
Attractive
- Neighborhood Cleanups
- Neighborhood Tree Planting
Engaged
- Annual Neighborhood Competition
- Great Neighborhood Award
*eligibility depends on activation level
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Comprehensive Planning
Physical Address
305 SW A Street
Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone: 479-271-3122
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Shelli Kerr
Comprehensive Planning Manager, AICP
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Danielle Semsrott
Senior Planner, AICP