[Optimist Park / Belmont Projects]

Yeah, it sucks that those criminals bashed the windows in. They need to be hunted down!

The buildings that are up now on the Seigle Point site are apartments. Townhomes haven't even gone up yet. If windows are being broken out now, what do you think will happen when people move in? I don't think anything will change. It's so unfortunate.

[Optimist Park / Belmont Projects]

The prices are extrememly competitive, BUT is it not true that 20 untis are being reserved for the former residenets that once lived at the Piedmont Housing Project? I guess I am all for "mixed income", but my concern is that if they fill a large percentage of the units with former residents, then there might be en element of crime to contend with. (unless there is a rigorous screening pf potential residents, which there very well could be)

Quote:

Gallman said about 20 of Grubb's planned townhomes will be reserved as affordable units and will include levels of assistance that potentially would allow qualified former residents to seek purchase.

There are only 50 units available in all. That means that 40 percent of the project will be occupied by former residents.

Now maybe they are ideal residents and they have been pre-screened as I mentioned above, but that is a ton of units to offer to residents basically getting in for next to nothing.

PLUS:

The Housing Authority plans about 920 housing units in the immediate area, including about 100 apartments for seniors.

The 23-acre site will accommodate 204 rental apartments and about 160 for-sale units. A condo project is in the planning stages.

Now don't get me wrong I think the First Ward model has been a success story, but when we have nearly a THOUSAND units planned to be funded by the gov't, and only a small percentage of the entire project left open for investors or people seeking outright home ownership, one has to question if that is really an area that you want to invest in. (or for that matter live near).

The way that I understand (if I am reading correctly), is that almost the whole project is planned for lower income residents. I am curious as to what percentage of the First Ward Master plan was left open to lower income versus market rate homes??Does anyone know off the top of their head???

A2

Actually those 20 units will go to whoever meets the qualifications, not necessarily previous residents of Piedmont Courts and not necessarily "poor" people. There is a set income bracket that you must fall between in order to qualify for one of these homes and the additional funding. According to the qualifications (and you can check with Grubb) very few of the previous residents will even qualify/or have yet to qualify because they don't make enough money or their credit score isn't even high enough to sign a contract. This program is not designed for the poorest of the poor, but for people who fall through the cracks and don't qualify for public assistance because they make too much money and can't own a home in a decent neighborhood because they don't make enough.