Unit 3

Running head: ECONOMIC GROWTH IN STOP SIX SUNRISE EDITION 1
Economic Growth in Stop Six Sunrise Edition
Sidney Dennis, Carmen Dorado, Brooke Ingram, Allie Lafitte, & Jaime Lindsay
Texas Christian University

ECONOMIC GROWTH IN STOP SIX SUNRISE EDITION 2
Economic Growth in Stop Six Sunrise Edition
Drive down University Drive in Fort Worth, and you will see the pristine grounds of
Texas Christian University with its grand limestone buildings and students hurriedly walking to
classes dressed head to toe in luxury brands, using their brand new, just released smartphones.
Drive just a short ten minutes down East Berry Street, just outside of the TCU bubble, and you
will come across a historic district called “Stop Six.” Once the sixth stop on the Northern Texas
Traction Co. interurban streetcar system connecting Dallas to Fort Worth, the primarily African
American neighborhood received a historic designation in 2007 (Melton, 2016). Juxtaposed from
the streetcars and small farms of the 1920s, today you will find abandoned homes, closed and
boarded up businesses, and a struggling school system. Stop Six Sunrise Edition is a
neighborhood association in eastern Fort Worth serving this community. Under the leadership of
Regina Blair, Cal Quigley IV, and Ray Taylor, all Stop Six natives, the association is partnering
with community members and the City of Fort Worth to bring about economic development and
growth (Collier, 2016). After leaving the area to pursue their education and careers, Blair,
Quigley, and Taylor have found their way back home and are invested in revamping and
redeveloping the neighborhood. The Stop Six neighborhood association is actively working to
bring forth economic growth and development to their neighborhood while preserving the unique
history of the area despite limited resources and opposition.
The Stop Six neighborhood consists of the area within the confines of East Rosedale
Street, Miller Avenue, East Berry Street, and Stalcup Road.1 The neighborhood was originally
settled in the late 1800s and was “a community of small farms and homesteads” (Melton, 2016).
Current homes in the area are typically small: mostly single story three bedroom homes with
1 See Appendix A for boundaries map

wood siding, some vacant and falling apart or boarded up.2 The average estimated value of
homes in the area is seventy-five thousand dollars, compared to the Fort Worth average of one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars. According to public records, in 2013 the median income of
households in the area was $26,384, half of the median income of Fort Worth. Over ten percent
of those are single-mother households, two percent higher than that of Fort Worth, and
approximately thirty-seven percent of residents have not completed high school (Stop Six
Sunrise Edition neighborhood detailed profile, n.d.).
Awarded in 2007, after perseverance by City Councilman Donavan Wheatfall, Stop Six
resident and neighborhood association member Regina Blair and other neighborhood association
members, one unique feature of this campaign was the historic designation of the neighborhood.
The designation for the Stop Six district sought “to preserve the neighborhood's history by
protecting the architectural style of the older buildings, many of which were built in the mid-20th
century” (Calimbahin, 2016). The designation was originally made in an effort to spur
redevelopment and industry growth and also protect homes in the area from high property
valuations and rising taxes. However, maintaining such a designation placed limitations on
developers and investors regarding building and redevelopment, and may, in fact, have prevented
developers from even considering Stop Six. This designation further caused issue once you
realized that the buildings, regardless of their condition, were protected and required lots of
paperwork and protocol to demolish or redevelop. In fact, many argued that the historic
designation was doing more harm than good. In an article for Fort Worth Business, Samantha
Calimbahin (2016) writes that “any new development in the district must follow a set of written
guidelines that govern design elements such as building materials, signage and landscaping,” and
2 See Appendix B for neighborhood photographs

that while some development has occurred, developers have mostly shied away from Stop Six
because of the designation. Current City Councilwoman Gyna Bivens believed the historic
designation was holding Stop Six back from reaching its full potential, placing too many
restrictions on potential developers, and made the case that, “as historic (or close to it) as some
of the properties in the 319-acre Stop Six district are, more than twice as many are vacant lots
and non-historic structures” (The Editorial Board, 2016). While the neighborhood association
was reluctant to take a firm stance on the issue, they do agree that “development will likely
attract more young people and families” (Cal Quigley & Ray Taylor, Personal communication,
September 15, 2016). On October 11, 2016, the Fort Worth City Council voted to remove the
historic designation of the neighborhood, thereby eliminating the strict rules governing
development in the area.
The Stop Six Sunrise Edition neighborhood association is a group of individuals who are
stakeholders in the neighborhood and are dedicated to protecting the neighborhood and its
residents. It consists of Blair, Quigley, Taylor, and other representatives who live in the
neighborhood.3 The association is looking to “create an area of urban development, like Fort
Worth’s West 7th,” which they believe will be a great contribution to the city and the
surrounding neighborhood. In the process of doing so, they also “hope to reconnect with the
community, and determine mutually beneficial solutions for all stakeholders” (Cal Quigley &
Ray Taylor, Personal communication, September 15, 2016).
In defining stakeholders, the neighborhood association includes current residents, former
residents working to bring change, potential future residents, the City Council, the City of Fort
Worth, and the Fort Worth Police Department. They are also realistic about the timeline for such
3 See Appendix C for neighborhood association photograph

a large undertaking, acknowledging that it will likely take “one or two decades of work to fix it”
(Cal Quigley & Ray Taylor, Personal communication, September 15, 2016). Knowing they have
years of work ahead of them, the neighborhood association members are goal focused and have
identified three that they feel will contribute to a feeling of success. They hope to:
1. Gain a clear picture of what the community desires and needs from members of
the neighborhood association, which will allow for a greater understanding of the
problem.
2. Gain a better understanding of how revitalization and redevelopment projects like
this happen.
3. Create a shift in the mindset of the community through public meetings and
neighborhood functions; gaining credibility with the community members who
have been let down many times in the past.
In terms of measuring these goals, the members of the neighborhood association will
primarily focus on changing the attitudes of community members they work with. Unfortunately,
this community has been let down many times in the past, and they are very skeptical of the
work the neighborhood association is doing. The neighborhood association does not distinguish
between goals and success points; success will be meeting those aforementioned goals.
The redevelopment and rejuvenation of Stop Six will take time, money, cooperation, and
agreement from everyone in the surrounding Fort Worth area. With the determination of the Stop
Six Sunrise Edition neighborhood association and the help of local lawmakers and stakeholders,
the hope in the years to come is to implement a plan that is beneficial for all parties involved to
make this area of Fort Worth the amazing district that it once was and bring about the economic
growth the area desperately needs.

In an effort to reach their ultimate goals of bringing forth economic growth and
empowering community members, the Stop Six Sunrise Edition neighborhood association has
employed the use of basic communication concepts to establish strategies, including word of
mouth, phone calls, and emails, to communicate the area’s needs with stakeholders and raise
awareness of the resource scarcity they face.
The first, and most frequent, strategy used by the neighborhood association is word of
mouth. This consists of neighborhood association members relaying messages face to face with
residents and other stakeholders to let them know important information and what they need to
do with that information. This mode usually involves Blair going door-to-door talking to Stop
Six residents. According to the neighborhood association members, they do not keep track of
how frequently they communicate, but rather communicate when they have pertinent information
to share (Regina Blair, Personal communication, September 29, 2016).
Another strategy is communicating through the telephone, including calling and texting.
Members of the neighborhood association call residents to let them know important information
and what they need to do with that information. The neighborhood association calls those they
already have an established relationship with and thus have their contact information. Similar to
word of mouth, communication frequency is not tracked, but rather happens when they have
information to share (Regina Blair, Personal communication, September 29, 2016).
According to Blair (Personal communication, September 29, 2016), they will also
communicate with their “officers and other tech savvy individuals” through “text followed by an
email.” The individuals they email are those they are already connected with and have
established some sort of relationship. Blair said this is “especially true if there are
communication documents and information that needs to be shared by reading.” At the time of

the interview, it was unclear how often this type of communication happens, with members
regularly texting one another and sending information when needed (Regina Blair, Personal
communication, September 29, 2016).
Another strategy used by the campaign is members’ attendance of City Council meetings.
The Fort Worth City Council holds meetings three times each month and allows for public input
(Fort Worth City Government, n.d.). A few Stop Six neighborhood association representatives
have attended these meetings to advocate for economic development in the community and to
voice their concerns over the recent removal of the historic district designation, which they
considered to be a resource of theirs (Regina Blair, Personal communication, October 10, 2016).
Finally, although not explicitly stated by the group, we believe the media coverage in
local news sources is a strategy of the campaign. In 2016, there have been at least seven articles
written on economic development in Fort Worth’s Stop Six.4 Articles were featured in TCU
Magazine in the spring, the Star Telegram in June, NBC 5 in September, and Fort Worth
Business Press in March. All detail what the neighborhood association is working for, however,
these articles are typically buried in smaller sections of the papers and require a search to locate.
Since the campaign has only recently formed, there was not much of a formula used to
determine the strategies campaign members would use, and the neighborhood association stated
that they did not employ the use of any communication theories. According to Blair (Personal
communication, October 10, 2016), the neighborhood association chose these strategies based on
resident’s preference and ease of use. Blair asserts the role demographics play in strategy
selection. For example, older residents prefer a phone call with “clear voice communication and
the bare bones” in terms of information (Regina Blair, Personal communication, September 29,
4 See Appendix D for media coverage

2016). The neighborhood association leadership did state that they drew upon their past
experiences in city planning and the knowledge gained from TCU’s Executive MBA program to
guide them. Blair has a background in city planning and previously served as the Community
Coordinator for the City of Arlington. Blair stated that the neighborhood association leaders try
to stay current on economic policies and attend summits and conferences on community
development and business (Regina Blair, Personal communication, September 29, 2016).
We identified two primary communication concepts present within their strategies: buzz
marketing and credibility. Buzz marketing “relies on friendships to spread the word,” and can be
described as word of mouth marketing. The idea behind buzz marketing is that the more people
hear about a product or idea from those they trust, they will be more likely to buy in to the idea
or purchase the product. It is inexpensive compared to traditional forms of advertising and
“operates largely through interpersonal channels” (Gass, & Seiter, 2014, p.4-5). While the
neighborhood association is not necessarily concerned with going viral, when a message spreads
rapidly like a contagious virus, they do employ smaller-scale word of mouth marketing to relay
their message. The neighborhood association frequently communicates its meeting dates and
other information through word of mouth to individuals who then spread the word to others, and
the message continues to be distributed.
The second communication concept that we see present in their campaign is credibility.
Credibility is defined as “judgments that are made by a perceiver concerning the believability of
a communicator or institution” (O’Keefe, as cited in Gass & Seiter, 2014, p.77). The
neighborhood association uses their credibility to influence community members and garner
support for their cause. We believe they establish their credibility through the use of the three

sub-divisions within it, known as the three primary dimensions. These are: expertise,
trustworthiness, and goodwill.
Simply put, expertise is “knowing, or at least, appearing to know your stuff” (Gass &
Seiter, 2014, p.78). Another way to think of expertise is being competent or qualified on a topic.
Blair, Quigley, and Taylor have all graduated from TCU’s Executive MBA program which is a
qualification lending to their expertise on business matters. Regina also mentioned that she
attends conferences and summits regarding business and stays current on economic policies. Her
background in city planning also lends to her expertise, and we believe the knowledge that they
possess as current or former Stop Six residents gives them expertise on the neighborhood. In her
interview, Regina explicitly stated that residents initially reached out to her about their concerns
for the neighborhood because of her career path and degree, showing that the residents believe
she possesses enough expertise to help and represent them (Regina Blair, Personal
communication, September 29, 2016).
Trustworthiness is an evaluation of the speaker’s truthfulness or ability to be trusted
(Gass & Seiter, 2014, p.80). Quigley and Taylor discussed how the residents have been
disappointed by developers in the past. They stated that past developers have promised economic
development and growth only to disappear and let the residents down. One of the goals the
neighborhood associate members have is to create a shift in the mindset of the community and to
gain residents trust. Quigley and Taylor said that for some of the residents, there is a “level of
resentment and anxiety,” and they need to “establish relationships to move past that” (Cal
Quigley and Ray Taylor, Personal communication, September 15, 2016). We believe one way
they are able to begin building these relationships is through the third dimension of credibility,
goodwill.

Goodwill is often described as “perceived caring,” or “displaying empathy.” It is
demonstrating that you “understand another person’s ideas, feelings, or needs” (Gass & Seiter, 2014,
p.81). The members of the neighborhood association are working to establish relationships with
community members by gaining their trust. Quigley and Taylor (Personal communication, September
15, 2016) discussed maintaining a constant presence in the neighborhood to show the residents that
they care and would continue to “make those changes toward what they are trying to accomplish.”
By maintaining a presence and continuing to do what they have said they would, they are showing
the neighborhood that they care. Furthermore, by communicating their past ties to the neighborhood
and their desire to see Stop Six become a place for families, they are demonstrating empathy and
understanding. These factors, combined with their qualifications and trustworthiness, all lend to their
credibility with community and assist them when procuring resources.
The Stop Six neighborhood association uses a variety of resources in an effort to bolster their
cause, including the wealth of knowledge received from completing TCU’s Executive MBA
program, the relationships they have built with the community members, and media coverage
through various local news sources, such as the Star Telegram and TCU Magazine. Their combined
knowledge and experience allows the neighborhood association members to draw on connections and
previous projects, while media coverage allows community members to gain information regarding
the state of the community and the potential for expansion, and could potentially recruit new
members for the cause.
Unfortunately, the campaign has also faced opposition in terms of resources. All three
neighborhood association members have other jobs and therefore have a lack of time to devote to the
campaign (Regina Blair, Personal communication, September 29, 2016; Cal Quigley and Ray Taylor,
Personal communication, September 15, 2016). Blair stated that there is a lack of monetary resources
and access to federal dollars, isolation faced by community members who lack access to

transportation and social service programs, and a lack of communication between the association
and the City Council. She further asserted that the recent decision by the City Council to remove
the historic designation will likely pose a hindrance as well, because this will remove the
economic resources that come with the designation (Fort Worth City Council, Public meeting,
October 11, 2016). Blair did not go into detail as to what these resources were, but did elaborate
on the expanding boundaries of the urban village. The current boundaries of this extend well
beyond what is considered to be Stop Six, and due to city code, developers would have to use the
entire area designated. This poses a particular problem because developers could begin work in
the area outside of Stop Six, but never actually bring growth to the Stop Six area (Regina Blair,
Personal communication, September 29, 2016).
In an effort to disseminate the information they feel is important, the neighborhood
association members have selected strategies catering to the preferences of the demographic they
are serving. Strategies were selected based on ease of use and, in part, the limited amount of time
the members have to devote to the campaign. Neither Quigley, Taylor, nor Blair have mentioned
aggravation with returns on the strategies they are using, as all strategies are currently meeting
their intended purpose. By employing basic communication concepts and through the use of
simple, cost-effective strategies and scarce resources, this campaign has been able to raise
community awareness and garner additional support for their cause.
In addition to the previously mentioned resources, we have selected a few strategies we
believe may bolster the campaign’s effort. Considering the limited budget and busy schedules of
the neighborhood association members, these suggestions are cost-effective, simple, easy-to
implement, and require little time to execute.

First, we suggest that the Stop Six neighborhood association create a Facebook page or
group. Creating and maintaining a Facebook account for the neighborhood association is
inexpensive and will provide a central hub for sharing information with stakeholders, creating a
greater potential for buzz, or word of mouth, marketing. Word of mouth marketing relies mainly
on interpersonal channels, like social media, and is “more effective than mainstream media.”
These newer forms of media, such as Facebook, “are important for influence,” and allow for
sentiment tracking, or the “process of monitoring and measuring social media to gauge the
public’s mood” (Gass & Seiter, 2014, p.5). Such tracking would allow the neighborhood
association to better understand public interest in their cause, assisting them in meeting their first
goal of gaining a clear picture of what the community desires and needs.
Next, we propose that the neighborhood association take the recent removal of the
historic designation and use it to their advantage as an advertising tool to attract developers.
Members of the neighborhood association have stated that developers were not interested in
coming to Stop Six due to the strict guidelines imposed by the historic designation. In October,
much to the dismay of Blair and other neighborhood association members, the City Council
voted to remove the designation. We suggest reframing the removal of the designation a positive
light. According to Gass and Seiter (2014), the disrupt-then-reframe technique of persuasion is a
“sequential compliance tactic,” that assumes “certain requests create a conflict within
persuadees” (p.231). In the case of the developers, they likely want to help bring growth into
Stop Six, but are likely “also resistant to the expense or effort required to do so.” The disrupt-
then-reframe technique overcomes this conflict by “disrupting the persuadees’ resistance,”
diverting attention from maintaining their resistance, and “reframing the request with a positive
spin” (Gass & Seiter, 2014, p.231). The Stop Six neighborhood association could employ this

technique by preparing for counter-arguments from developers in advance and reframing their
position. For example, the neighborhood association can inform developers of the historic
designation’s removal and offer up suggestions of areas to begin developing before developers
argue that there are too many restrictions placed on new developments in the area.
Next, we suggest the neighborhood association schedule regular meetings for
stakeholders. Studies have found that what is familiar is typically looked upon more favorably
than what is unfamiliar, labeled the “mere exposure effect.” Furthermore, research has shown
that “when people were presented with a familiar message that was personally relevant to them,
they were likely to process the message analytically” (Gass & Seiter, 2014, p.199-200). By
holding regular meetings, the neighborhood association members increase their exposure and
breed familiarity. This also affords them opportunities to work toward accomplishing two of
their goals: (a) gaining a clear picture of what the community desires and needs, and (b) creating
a shift in the mindset of the community.
In addition to having scheduled meetings, we propose a regular newsletter for
stakeholders informing them of any neighborhood news and updates. To streamline the process
and minimize the time commitment, we suggest using an established template in a program such
as Microsoft Word, and establishing the frequency of newsletters at bi-weekly or monthly
intervals. Distribution of this newsletter can be accomplished by emailing the residents they
already have contact information for and encouraging sign up for those they do not, or by placing
a copy at each home in the neighborhood, either on their door or in their mailbox. This is another
simple way to increase exposure of, and the buzz about, the neighborhood association.
Finally, we also suggest establishing a phone tree to disseminate information to
stakeholders. This could be achieved by recording a message and sending an automated call to

stakeholders. This allows the leadership of the neighborhood association to streamline the
process of informing stakeholders of meetings and other pertinent information. A representative
of the neighborhood association, such as Blair, could record a message using software that will
then contact the numbers the neighborhood association provides. This service has the highest
cost, but is relatively inexpensive with options such as Phonevite charging five cents per call
after a free trial and no monthly subscription fees, and CallMulitplier charging a monthly flat rate
of $6.99 to contact up to twenty five individuals. These services also allow for text messages,
unique caller ID so individuals can call back to hear a message replayed, and the benefit of pre-
recording a call and scheduling when it will be made (CallMultiplier, n.d.; Phonevite
Community-Based Voice Broadcasting, n.d.). This asynchronous medium would allow for the
representatives of the neighborhood association to craft their messages when convenient for their
busy schedules and schedule the most appropriate time to contact stakeholders. However, one
potential consequence of this strategy is depersonalization of the communication. To counteract
this we propose the neighborhood association ensure they are still primarily communicating via
other channels and relying on this method solely to communicate relevant information quickly,
such as the time or location of neighborhood association meetings.
By establishing these additional channels for communication to flow through, the
neighborhood association has the opportunity to generate buzz about their cause and raise
community awareness which will ultimately aid in their success. The Stop Six Sunrise Edition
neighborhood association has a long journey ahead of them as they work to achieve their
ultimate goal of bringing forth economic growth and development, but are in a prime position to
increase the visibility of their campaign and begin to create change.

References
Blair, R. (September 29, 2016). Member, Stop Six Sunrise Edition. Personal
communication. rjblair@cloud.me.
Blair, R. (October 10, 2016). Member, Stop Six Sunrise Edition. Personal
communication. rjblair@cloud.me.
Calimbahin, S. (2016). Stop Six historic district could affect future development. Fort Worth
Business Press. Retrieved September 19, 2016 from
http://www.fortworthbusiness.com/news/stop-six-historicdistrict-changes-could-affect-
future-development/article_d239c9e6-ed5a-11e5-b7f2abca6e93a634.html.
CallMultiplier. (n.d.). Retrieved November 04, 2016, from https://www.callmultiplier.com.
Collier, C. (2016). Economic development in Fort Worth’s Stop Six. TCU Magazine. Retrieved
September 14, 2016 from www.magazine.tcu.edu/spring-2016/economic-development-
in-fort-worths-stop-six.
Fort Worth City Council. (October 11, 2016). Public meeting.
Fort Worth City Government. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2016, from
http://fortworthtexas.gov/government/.
Gass, R., & Seiter, J., (2014). Persuasion, social influence, and compliance gaining. Boston:
Pearson.
Gilmore, C. (2016, September 9). Transforming Fort Worth's 'Stop Six' district. NBC 5.
Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Transforming-
Fort-Worths-Stop-Six-392888791.html.
Historic Stop Six: Sunrise Edition. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2016, from
http://fortworthtexas.gov/planninganddevelopment/historic-preservation/stop-six/.

Melton, M. (2016). Stop Six: A brief history of a Fort Worth community. TCU Magazine.
Retrieved September 14, 2016 from www.magazine.tcu.edu/spring-2016/stop-six-
history-fort-worth-Community.
Phonevite Community-Based Voice Broadcasting (n.d.). Retrieved November 04, 2016, from
https://www.phonevite.com.
Quigley, C., and Taylor, R. (September 15, 2016). Members, Stop Six Sunrise
Edition. Personal communication. cal.quigley@tcu.edu.
Ratigan, E. (2016, August 3). Welcome to Stop Six. Fort Worth Weekly. Retrieved October 27,
2016 from http://www.fwweekly.com/2016/08/03/93698.
Stop Six Sunrise Edition neighborhood detailed profile. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2016,
from http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Stop-Six-Sunrise-Edition-Fort-Worth-
TX.html.
The Editorial Board (2016). Take ‘historic’ burden away from Stop Six. Star-Telegram.
Retrieved September 15, 2016 from www.star-
telegram.com/opinion/editorials/article81223892.html.

Appendix A
Boundaries Map
Retrieved from Fort Worth Business Press

Appendix B
Neighborhood Photographs
Cruz, C. (n.d.). Stop Six Adopt-A-Street [Digital image].
Cruz, C. (n.d.). Antioch Baptist Church [Digital image].

Ratigan, E. (n.d.). Miller’s Grocery [Digital image].
Stop Six Home [Digital Image]. Retrieved from www.fortworthtexas.gov

Appendix C
Neighborhood Association Members
From left to right: Ray Taylor, Regina Blair, and Cal Quigley IV
Cruz, C. (n.d.). Taylor, Blair, Quigley [Digital image].

Appendix D
News Articles on Stop Six

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