Neighborhood
Improvement Program
Current Projects
What is the Neighborhood Improvement Program?
In the fall of 1993, the Broward County Board of
County Commissioners authorized the establishment
of the Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP). The
Neighborhood Improvement Program is an unprecedented
set of public works projects in eight (8) major
communities, representing 25 neighborhoods in mostly
unincorporated Broward County. The locations
of these eight communities are shown on the map
below. These eight areas have been divided into
smaller, more manageable sections. Each of these
sections represents a separate construction project
or "Bid Package".
The NIP started as drainage improvement projects—the
South County Collective Outfall and the Chula Vista
Outfall Canal—which were designed to alleviate flooding
in low-lying areas of the County. However, other
neighborhoods within the County which had been constructed
in the 1940s and 1950s were also experiencing inadequate
drainage, in addition to being adversely affected
by an aging potable water infrastructure and a lack
of sanitary sewer service. Many of these areas had
been historically served by septic tanks. These
conditions posed a threat to the water supply of
residents and business owners in these areas, and
potentially exposed them to contact with effluent
as well.
The NIP is intended to offer a comprehensive approach
to infrastructure improvements in the rights-of-way
of a number of communities. The improvements vary
and are dependent upon the specific needs of the
communities involved, but include: drainage, water,
sanitary sewers, roadways, swales, sidewalks, signage
and landscaping. Each project is designed to ultimately
provide residents and business owners with greater
fire protection, improved drainage, a new sanitary
sewer system and improved water pressure.
Rather than planning and designing the NIPs in a
vacuum, the County took the unusual step of involving
the stakeholders in the projects at the outset.
Broward County believes strongly that community
participation in these projects is a priority and
that the best strategy to community empowerment
is a community-driven approach which coordinates
economic, physical, environmental, community and
human needs. Hence, new partnerships have been formed
among state and local governments, the private sector,
community organizations and affected residents of
the NIP areas.
The NIP includes an area the size of a medium city
with 8,812 acres, 92,000 people and 28,200 homes.
The planned improvements include 292 miles of roadways,
422 miles of sidewalks, and 617 miles of pipeline,
which will enable the elimination of 10,252 septic
tanks. Construction of the NIPs began in 1996 and
is currently scheduled to be completed in 2011.
The current estimated cost of the NIP improvements
is $629 million.
For general information on the individual Neighborhood
Improvement Projects, click on the Project names below.
