Planning Focus
Since the late 1980s, Woodhaven community members have continually voiced concerns over several challenges in their neighborhood, including increased crime, high population densities in multi-family developments, and a lack of community facilities. In 2001, the City of Fort Worth surveyed single-family home owners, multi-family residents, and apartment managers in order to systematically assess the opinions of all Woodhaven residents. A full report of the survey can be found at Woodhaven Survey 2001 .
Survey results show many similarities to the community workshop responses on pages 30-31. The survey also asked respondents to identify geographical "problem areas" in the neighborhood. Residents consistently identified the Boca Raton/Oakland Hills intersection and convenience store as the "epicenter" of the community's problems. Among homeowners, a common response was "all apartment complexes" or "the apartments" as the primary problem area.
Further analysis of the survey data by the City of Fort Worth shows great disparities among apartment residents based on the proximity to the Boca Raton/Oakland Hills intersection. Responses from residents in the six apartment complexes closest to the intersection were compared to those from five complexes on the periphery of Woodhaven. Overall, those living closer to the intersection reported less satisfaction with the neighborhood and their quality of housing, a lower quality of life, and a lower perception of safety than those living further from the intersection.
In addition, a 2003 Neighborhood Empowerment Zone (NEZ) application prepared by Woodhaven Community Development, Inc. showed that in 2000 and 2001, over 65% of Part I crimes took place in apartment complexes and less than 10% took place in the single-family home areas. This application also identifies the Boca Raton/Oakland Hills intersection as the geographic heart of the community and states that, "the redesign of this intersection is critical to the revitalization of the Woodhaven community."
The survey results, NEZ application, and community input received during the four community workshops indicate a need to focus on the apartment complex developments in Woodhaven, especially those located near the Boca Raton/Oakland Hills intersection. The following pages show the results of this more focused existing conditions analysis.