By Attiyya Anthony-Atkins, Sun Sentinel
Ocean Breeze West dedicates final home in 21-home project
Ocean Breeze West project replaced crime-ridden Boynton Terrace
All of the doors are finally open in Boynton Beach's 'model community.'
After close to three years of construction, the 21st home in Ocean Breeze West — a joint project between Habitat for Humanity, the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and Boynton's Faith Based Community Development Corporation — was dedicated to the Jean-Baptiste family Tuesday.
Ocean Breeze West is located off of Seacrest Boulevard, between Boynton Beach and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards right in the Heart of Boynton.
"Today is the best day for me and my family," Aznel Jean-Baptiste said. "I'm so very happy. It shows that little by little you can reach your goal."
Friends, family and neighbors welcomed the Jean-Baptiste's with a community feast in their brand new garage.
"It's nice knowing most of the people in the community," Darlene Deneus, 17, said. Deneus has been living in the community with her family for six months. "My parents are close to all the other parents, they all go to church together."
Nine years ago, the property was a crime-ridden housing project called Boynton Terrace. Now, one- and two-story single family homes sit on a lot that city officials once labeled "unsafe" and filed with "bad guys."
"We're looking to take the no-good and make it a more viable community," said Woodrow Hay, agency board member.
The new community will be home to more than 120 people, 80 of them children.
Pat Rowan, development director for Habitat for Humanity South Palm Beach County, said that the families in the neighborhood have a strong bond and will continue to grow together.
The majority of the 21 families living in Ocean Breeze West worked side by side and put in over 500 hours to build their homes with Habitat for Humanity.
"[The homeowners] all know each other and are already friends," Rowan said. "I envision it being the type of community where the older kids watch the younger kids and everyone looks out for each other."
That would be a welcome change from what the community used to be, city officials say.
"Several of the neighborhood's homeowners are taking an active role in the Heart of Boynton and the community as a whole is excited," Hay said. "We need Ocean Breeze West."
Hay said that future developments in the pipeline, such as a proposed Family Dollar, will also help to strengthen the community.
The Heart of Boynton is 15 residential neighborhoods with an average household income of $23,000.
The Ocean Breeze project is made up of two projects on Seacrest Boulevard: Ocean Breeze West, a 21-home, low- and middle-income residential community, and the proposed Ocean Breeze East project, with residential and office space.
Boynton wraps up Ocean Breeze West project
By Attiyya Anthony-Atkins, Sun Sentinel
Ocean Breeze West dedicates final home in 21-home project
Ocean Breeze West project replaced crime-ridden Boynton Terrace
All of the doors are finally open in Boynton Beach's 'model community.'
After close to three years of construction, the 21st home in Ocean Breeze West — a joint project between Habitat for Humanity, the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and Boynton's Faith Based Community Development Corporation — was dedicated to the Jean-Baptiste family Tuesday.
Ocean Breeze West is located off of Seacrest Boulevard, between Boynton Beach and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards right in the Heart of Boynton.
"Today is the best day for me and my family," Aznel Jean-Baptiste said. "I'm so very happy. It shows that little by little you can reach your goal."
Friends, family and neighbors welcomed the Jean-Baptiste's with a community feast in their brand new garage.
"It's nice knowing most of the people in the community," Darlene Deneus, 17, said. Deneus has been living in the community with her family for six months. "My parents are close to all the other parents, they all go to church together."
Nine years ago, the property was a crime-ridden housing project called Boynton Terrace. Now, one- and two-story single family homes sit on a lot that city officials once labeled "unsafe" and filed with "bad guys."
"We're looking to take the no-good and make it a more viable community," said Woodrow Hay, agency board member.
The new community will be home to more than 120 people, 80 of them children.
Pat Rowan, development director for Habitat for Humanity South Palm Beach County, said that the families in the neighborhood have a strong bond and will continue to grow together.
The majority of the 21 families living in Ocean Breeze West worked side by side and put in over 500 hours to build their homes with Habitat for Humanity.
"[The homeowners] all know each other and are already friends," Rowan said. "I envision it being the type of community where the older kids watch the younger kids and everyone looks out for each other."
That would be a welcome change from what the community used to be, city officials say.
"Several of the neighborhood's homeowners are taking an active role in the Heart of Boynton and the community as a whole is excited," Hay said. "We need Ocean Breeze West."
Hay said that future developments in the pipeline, such as a proposed Family Dollar, will also help to strengthen the community.
The Heart of Boynton is 15 residential neighborhoods with an average household income of $23,000.
The Ocean Breeze project is made up of two projects on Seacrest Boulevard: Ocean Breeze West, a 21-home, low- and middle-income residential community, and the proposed Ocean Breeze East project, with residential and office space.