Navajo Townsite Community Development Corporation
Grants Awarded
Navajo Townsite CDC plans to develop a smaller, less intimidating bike pump track for young riders, with an adjacent larger track for older riders and park benches for supervision, in Red Clay Hill Park, Navajo. Through this initiative, the organization aims to foster a love for biking among younger generations, counter health issues like obesity and diabetes, and encourage intergenerational engagement. This project is part of larger vision, in cooperation with industry partners like Little Bellas and International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), to cultivate respect for the outdoors and enhance local economy through tourism related to biking and other adventure activities.
The Navajo Townsite Community Development Corporation (Navajo Townsite CDC) is a small community development nonprofit that works only in the community of Navajo, New Mexico. The community is located approximately 20 miles northeast of Window Rock, Arizona (capital of the Navajo Nation) and has a population of about 2,000 people who are mostly Native American (Navajo/Dine’). Navajo Townsite CDC was created in 1989 and for much of the 30+ years of its existence has worked to provide housing for low-income families and individuals. Today it owns and manages 110 single-family units across 3 housing programs that include affordable homeownership, affordable public rentals, and conventional public rentals. Within the last five years, Navajo Townsite CDC has expanded upon community development endeavors with the incorporation of pocket parks development in and around its housing complexes, economic redevelopment planning of an old sawmill brownfields site, as well as pushing 3 new housing projects including redevelopment of two neighborhoods. In early 2024, through a partnership with Indian Health Service, a community bike pump track was installed in one of the small pocket parks and in support of the local biking/mountain biking enthusiasts. We should also note that nearly 50% of the local population is under the age of 25. Organizationally, Navajo Townsite CDC is led by a 5-member, all Navajo/Dine’ Board of Directors and a female, Navajo/Dine woman as Executive Director. The staff is small (7 staff members) but efficient as we all work to meet our vision and mission of creating a healthy and vibrant community through thoughtful and responsive community planning and development. The organization’s budget is modest with revenues totaling about $500,000 annually. Navajo Townsite CDC is also a regular contributor/partner/leader in local community events such as community clean-ups, farmers markets, back-to-school, arts markets, etc., and collaborative community projects focused on streets improvement, blighted units’ removal and public art collaborations.