Community Assets
The North End is home to a number of parks, churches, schools, thriving businesses, and other assets. Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which was founded in 1919, is an important community anchor, as is Connie’s Mexico Cafe, which has served generations of North End residents. Evergreen Park on the northern edge of the area is home to a cluster of amenities, including a newly renovated library, recreation center, and child care facility.
The City has made several improvements over the last decade to Nomar Plaza, including a rebranding and renovation in 2011, and the construction of a new shade structure in 2021. The Plaza hosts markets, festivals, and other events that require large hardscaped areas. Empower is renovating the historic Nomar Theater as a business incubator, and the adjacent former Basham furniture store as a commercial kitchen.
North End Asset Map
0.5 mi radius around Nomar
21st Street Land Use
The corridor’s key characteristics will shape future revitalization attempts:
It is low-rise: no buildings are taller than a single-story It privileges cars:
it has frequent curb cuts and large surface parking lots along the sidewalk.
It is a site of frequent traffic accidents (see page 48)
It lacks shade (see page 50)
These characteristics suggest that significant changes will be needed to once again make 21st Street a place where people will want to spend time. However, it can still be activated and improved in the short term, even with limited resources.
Traffic Accidents
Accidents along 21st Street in the last two periods (2018, 2021) for which data are available. Many residents stated they don’t walk along 21st Street because it doesn’t feel safe. Numerous factors may be contributing to this cluster of accidents: residents complained that cars routinely drive too fast, especially approaching the stoplight on Market Street and Broadway Avenue to beat delays from trains crossing. The sidewalks are also extremely narrow on the east side of Nomar District.
2018 + 2021
Shade + Comfort
21st Street is a shade desert within a city full of trees. This map shows that the Nomar District lacks trees, and is subject to extreme heat. Less shade means residents will endure much hotter conditions in their neighborhood, making it uncomfortable and sometimes unhealthy to walk, wait for buses, play outside, and do many other daily activities. To make 21st Street more inviting for pedestrians, more trees and shade are urgently needed.
