But over the next decade it could begin to be transformed into a neighborhood of nearly 5,000 new homes complemented by a greenway, a lake, a nature sanctuary and an arts-and-crafts college.

That's a comprehensive vision of the Optimist Park and Belmont neighborhoods produced by a group of college students and neighborhood stakeholders peering 20 years into the future.

Residents of the neighborhoods are fighting -- with public and private assistance -- to reduce crime, restore homes, overcome poverty and eliminate blight.

Their efforts caught the eye of Advantage Carolina, formed in the late 1990s by business and civic leaders to strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life in the region.

One of the organization's missions is to generate catalyst urban development projects that have a potential to seed change.

"The whole intention of this study was to change the perception of what can happen," said Ray "Rip" Farris III of Charlotte's Tuscan Development.

His company had begun to focus on Optimist Park when he became Advantage Carolina's "champion" for the neighborhood.

The study, completed in May 2003, was conducted through a collaboration of the Harvard School of Design, the UNC Charlotte college of architecture and the UNCC MBA program.

"One of the things we tried to do is make sure their work in the area embraced and engaged current residents and landowners so they would be a part of the plan," said Emmy Lou Burchette, president of Advantage Carolina.

Farris said the students walked the area, met with civic and government leaders and talked face-to-face with residents to come up with their proposals.

"I think it's going to mean a lot -- it's going to give the whole community an uplift," said Henry Heath, president of the Optimist Park Neighborhood Association.

"I've been living here for 20 years, and it has been very depressing to come home and see the place looking so frail," he said. "It has always been my dream to see it come back, but I didn't have the funds or the connections."

Advantage Carolina spent the first half of this year showing the long-range proposals to public officials, private developers and neighborhood leaders to build consensus.

The organization helped finance the study, but Burchette said its main mission is "providing leadership, volunteers -- and, where needed, some funding -- to help with a grass-roots initiative."

The study sees the potential for 450,000 square feet of office and retail development and $900 million in investment.

Farris said one of the defining features of the proposal is a large lake with an iconic bridge across it in Cordelia Park on North Davidson Street.

The park, to be connected to the county's Little Sugar Creek Greenway, would become what study participants envision as a three-mile "green loop" encompassing redeveloped land along the railroad tracks paralleling North Davidson.

By 2020, the neighborhood is expected to have two light-rail stations on the tracks, which would help attract higher-density residential development.

Charlotte developer Frank Martin of Landcraft Properties said "edge" neighborhoods such as Optimist Park and Belmont are attracting young professionals weary of suburban traffic.

"If you look at the proposed light-rail stop on 16th Street, the amenity of a park on the greenway system and a lake, Optimist Park and Belmont are wonderfully located to have a tremendous appeal," he said.

From a developer's standpoint, Martin said, "this is the opposite of the perfect storm -- all the positives are coming together at the same time in the same place."

The gentrification of working class neighborhoods often strikes fear in long-time residents, who worry about being forced out.

Taking that into account, Farris said students were encouraged to envision projects that embrace "the forgotten blocks" while promoting residential restoration.

Both Belmont and Optimist Park residents are coming off recent successes in reclaiming their neighborhoods.

The city won a $20 million federal grant in June to turn the deteriorated and crime-ridden Piedmont Courts public housing project in Belmont into a mixed-income neighborhood.

And Optimist Park, fearing health problems and noise pollution, blocked an asphalt company's plans last year to build a plant in the neighborhood.

Residents will get their first detailed look at the study proposals Saturday.

Farris will make a presentation at the Fifteenth Street Church of God during a lunch break for participants in Optimist Park's first major clean-up day, which is to start at 7 a.m.

Advantage Carolina is sponsoring the lunch, and Heath is organizing residents into cleanup committees ranging from trash collection to landscaping.

"I'm really pleased with what we're seeing," said Burchette at Advantage Carolina. "This gives us a chance to reach even more neighbors and people interested in the neighborhood and continue the dialogue."