The preservation and enhancement of neighborhoods is paramount to sustain an exceptional quality of life for Chandler residents and keep our community safe, clean and beautiful. Integrated planning, programming, and communication efforts across City departments and among private businesses and non-profit organizations positively impact Chandler neighborhoods.
Neighborhood Programs
The Envision Program was created to serve as an interdepartmental effort to engage and empower residents.
Neighborhood Programs held six Envision events in two neighborhoods: Amberwood and Galveston.
The HOA Academy took place during the fall season with 104 participants representing 55 HOAs.
In addition, the City issued 34 neighborhood grants through Chandler.
Building Blocks
Implemented “Building Blocks”, a new neighborhoods planning tool that provides multiple departments with analytical information for specific neighborhoods and helps focus future City efforts and resources.
Neighborhood Spotlight
Southside Village becomes Historic Conservation District
The Chandler City Council approved its first historic designation naming the Southside Village neighborhood as the City’s first Historic Conservation District. Southside Village is roughly located from Frye Road to the north, Pecos Road to the south, Arizona Avenue to the west and east to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Southside Village was home to several community and municipal leaders including Zora Folley, a professional boxer and Chandler's first Black Councilmember; Chandler’s first Latino Mayor Raul Navarette; and Chandler’s first Black Mayor Coy Payne
Southside Village was established more than a century ago, and its residents contributed significantly to the advancement of Chandler.
Conversations with Chandler's Historic Black Families: LaVon Woods
Glen LaVon Woods was named after her grandmother who she knew lovingly as Mama Glen.
Woods came to Chandler, Arizona when she was 4 years old, and her family had already established themselves in town. She’s the granddaughter to N.J. Harris, the first African American to live in Chandler and the owner of the historic Bar-B-Q Pit. Woods fondly remembers her family’s business and legacy, Mount Olive Baptist Church and the community that she was a part of in Historic South Chandler.
Conversations with Chandler's Historic Black Families: Rev. Willie Arbuckle
Meet Rev. Willie Arbuckle, one of Chandler's historic Black families, as he shares his story of life in Chandler, dating back to his family's arrival in the late 1930s.
Rev. Arbuckle was one of the first Black students to graduate from Chandler High School — he stepped foot on the campus as a junior in 1949 — five years before the Brown vs. Board of Education case (where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools unconstitutional).
Volunteers Make the Difference
Chandler hosted the 12th annual For Our City Day on Oct. 22, to celebrate National Make a Difference Day. More than 1,300 volunteers worked on 54 beautification projects throughout the Pepperwood neighborhood (near Chandler Fashion Center). Projects include basic yard work, painting homes, spreading gravel, disposing unwanted items and a general neighborhood cleanup.
Through the Let’s Pull Together program, 182 volunteers assisted 64 Chandler households with home and yard maintenance. This program, offered through the City’s Neighborhood Programs Office, aims to provide senior residents, persons with disabilities, veterans, and families experiencing hardships with help in maintaining their yard.
The new Golden Neighbors Program connects senior residents with cost-of-living assistance, resources for home repairs, everyday supplies such as toiletries, food, transportation assistance and other senior needs. Seven events were held this year with 200 senior residents receiving serving and free household items.
Housing Assistance Programs
Villas on McQueen
Chandler moved forward with redeveloping our public housing portfolio by approving a development agreement to create Villas on McQueen, a new 157-unit multifamily affordable development where seniors, veterans and persons with disabilities will be given priority.
The project also will include a multigenerational community space and park area.
With this approved development agreement, Chandler is one step closer to its goal of repositioning its current public housing stock, modernizing its aging facilities, and creating much needed affordable housing options for families and seniors.
Emergency Rental Assistance
Chandler administered more than $8.2 million in Emergency Rental Assistance funding to prevent more than 1,100 evictions. Staff also held emergency rental assistance in-take events and assisted 87 residents with applying for assistance to prevent evictions
Landlord Incentive Program
We hosted the inaugural Landlord Outreach event and awards to encourage more landlords to accept public housing vouchers.
Addressing Homelessness
Chandler implemented fiscally sustainable strategies for addressing homelessness and panhandling activities in our community.
Panhandling
Received a permit from the Arizona Department of Transportation to install No Panhandling signs at freeway ramps in May 2022. Then, installed another 40 ChangeUp signs on Chandler streets to promote an alternative way for residents to give to those experiencing homelessness.
Homeless Navigators
Chandler’s Homeless Navigation team housed 267 households experiencing homelessness in 2022.
Supporting School Districts
We support area school districts in maintaining or enhancing local schools as neighborhood anchors.
School Resource Officers
Chandler Police Department has 11 school resource officers at 12 schools in Chandler. All school resource officers have completed the rigorous East Valley Crisis Intervention School. All but one of those positions are funded through grants.
A youth academy for grades seven through twelve enables students to learn about careers and functions of the police department as well as ask school resource officers questions about policing in Chandler.
School resource officers facilitate the Wilderness Youth Experience for underprivileged youth that is designed to promote self-discovery, principles of good character and constructive interaction with others.
Recreational Programming at Local Schools
We’re working with the Kyrene School District and Chandler Unified School District to provide recreational programming by using school gymnasiums for adults sports, therapeutic recreation and other programs as needed.
Diversity Mini-Grant Program
Chandler offers diversity mini-grants to schools and community organizations that support cultural events or activities. Chandler received more than $12,000 in requests from local schools since July 2022.