Every community in Palm Beach County has a wide variety of issues and activities that are important to its residents. It could be a desire to improve the appearance of a neighborhood or to address community concerns regarding safety, speeding, lack of activities for area youth, or a new project being proposed. Palm Beach County’s Office of Community Revitalization works to respond to these neighborhood concerns and to promote a strong partnership between the County and its residents.
Designed to provide neighborhoods with a link to County government, the OCR team assists neighborhood groups and residents in effectively accessing and using County services and other community resources to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County’s neighborhoods. The OCR provides or supports the following services to Palm Beach County residents:
CCRT and GTAC Coordination
The OCR facilitates, and collaborates with other County Departments on, the
Countywide Community Revitalization Team (CCRT) and
Glades Technical Advisory Committee (GTAC) created to coordinate stabilization/ revitalization activities in designated Palm Beach County neighborhoods. Regularly scheduled meetings allow County departments and residents to exchange information about what departments are doing, receive input from the residents, prevent duplication, concentrate efforts at the same time, and determine what is working and what is not. For more information on the CCRT, please contact William Wynn, Senior Planner, at
561-233-5168, and for information on GTAC, please contact Audley Reid, Senior Planner, at
561-233-5567.
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Link to Local Government
The OCR staff is often called upon to help schedule meetings with neighborhood groups and organizations, county staff and other governmental entities to seek input on community concerns and determine what assistance can be provided by the County. The OCR serves as the liaison office on behalf of Palm Beach County. OCR staff is also called upon to present information on available resources to neighborhoods, schools, and civic groups, and to educate citizens about Palm Beach County government, how to access resources, and how to be part of the decisions that affect their communities. For more information, contact the OCR at
561-233-5303.
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Technical Assistance
OCR staff works closely with neighborhood leaders and groups to help organize and assist in maintaining healthy, growing neighborhood associations. OCR staff also assists developers and/or their agents in scheduling meetings with neighborhood groups to seek input on new projects and help mitigate their impact on the communities.
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Education and Training
The OCR staff plays a critical role in educating neighborhood residents and organizations through workshops, seminars and individualized training. Specifically, OCR staff seeks to build neighborhood capacity to identify, prioritize and resolve neighborhood issues, and to increase residents ability to organize around solutions and manage long-term results.
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Other important services entail:
- Organizing and facilitating neighborhood meetings and visioning workshops, and helping prepare neighborhood plans;
- Translating for Spanish-speakers at meetings
- Identifying as well as procuring funding for neighborhood improvement projects;
- Building partnerships with outside organizations to infuse dollars and resources to targeted neighborhoods;
- Preparing and distributing neighborhood news and information to residents on workshops, neighborhood conferences, and other community resources;
- Addressing community problems by working with citizens, other departments, County Administration, and the Board of County Commissioners to identify solutions to neighborhood problems, improve service delivery, and effect positive community change; and
- Providing opportunities for neighborhood groups and organizations to network and communicate with each other to share their successes, and build both a stronger sense of community and a closer link to the local government.