HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittalCompliance with Section 1305.2 Design Review Criteria For MUSP
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• Transition in Scale to 7th Street & 2nd Avenue Pedestrian Districts - (II-3)
• Contextually Consistent with High Density Transit District & abutting Central
• Minimized impact of automobile / Enhanced Pedestrian Spaces - (V-1)
• Human Scale Architectural Details at Street Edge - (III-2)
• Active Facades along Public Streets & Pedestrian Interaction - (III-3)
• Minimize Vehicular Driveways and Pedestrian / Vehicle Conflicts - (V-1)
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Business District - (I-1)
Submitted Into the public
record I- connection .,vitt
item T2?to on t
Prisciiia A. Thompson
City Clerk
Compliance with Section 1305.2 Design Review Criteria For MUSP
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• Orientation to Corner / Ground Level Retail- (I-3) item P2 ors tc+fa L.
• Meets Site Landscape Standards / Conforms to Streetscape Design Guidelines - (II-1) Priscilla A. Thompson
• Roof Lines / Fenestration Details / Colors Consistent with Adjacent High Den. Residential - (II-2) _ Cs Clerk
• Convenient Pedestrian Access to Usable Plazas - (IV-1)
• Parking Structure Screened by Facing of Habitable Space and Program Uses - (VI-3)
• Internal Service Elements and Mechanical Structures Screened from Street - (VI-1)
• Signage and Lighting for Retail and Public Spaces in Scale / Oriented to Street (VII-1,2,3,4)
Government • • • 1 Submitted into the public
Center , ♦ ♦ Transit Station Arear cord in connection ith
• ♦ item-Pz.:)40 on o c-
Overtown ♦� Redevelopment Priscilla A. Thotnpton
•
iii�r _
Station . City Clerk
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NW ';t Avenue. looking south. T--e r.ght-of-w,:y is to be reconfigured to accor imoc' ate light rail, on-s;^ee:
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park-�. a��� double alev�s of� - a�_:�e _ �.��,. , ro�:ertics fri_: Fti g the _., .et are i ;�r.�_: ate:_ a.� mixed -use �u
w t- he _, in!:j on upper f c:ors.
Transition in Scale - Compatibility with Overtown Folk Life Village
Lyric
Theater
& Existing Residential to north and west
Submitted Into the public
record in connection vith
item x0 on la l? pc.
cilia A.141ohnpson
it► C1erk
Crosswinds
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Site
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ilustrates intense bleb - se development along NW 1s, Avenue ant. " grail, stepping tiown
to `_ -e smaller scaled L.ildings of Oivertove-'s, Folklife Village.
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SEOPW Recea•e orpnlent Plan
PL.blic Meetings
200 2134
Public Meetings
Notices Posted
Type
Discussion
Location
Time
Continents
Morcay. Apr l 2E.:004
Mian•i Times. '1ian•i Today,
Jai y EJsiness Revie..v
Cz4 6:a-d
Meetira
SEOPW =fir resuzn•itted to the CRA
Eoar: tr aper•c:31
Mari Arena
5 27.,- n1
See Ci:y C er, for rr!rL:es
3�5-2C-53 0
Morcay. Mach 29 2004
Miami Tin?es. Miami Today,
Jai y E-isiness Revie..v
C1! 6:a-d
Meet ra
5=4F..; m"ar sibrii::ec for app-ova' ter-,
te`erre3 :c 4-23.24 Board Mee: ra
Mini A rena
522-7 m
See Ci:y C er., for n-irL:e.
325-20-53c0
Tru-scay, Fel:ru.ry 1 2204
Mian•i Tinges
Conrr-urity
E-ieira
CRA Housirg CcrsLItan:, G-eate' Miami
Neiyhcarhoocs. Inc reya-ding ho.is rg
;.o icy :cr the SEOPW Redevelop rent
.Area. �resentaac.n icy Cross',iics
Cainmuni:ies he.
C:L i per Center
3-5'm
: cr:act 0i:•y Clerk. c.
C::ve':c;•a- A& s:r; 6ca-d
\tint.:?, fc.r 2-1"a-C4,
contact 325-25c-533c
Thu•scay, Oc:c:;e• 0: 2203
Mian•i —irres_ ri aril Jai 1
BLsire€s P.evie,t;
:°: ;rhshcp
SE.OPW :.aft ar
Miami ,Arena
4-3.2C Fm
See Ci'y C.erik for mirL:es
325-2C!-5360
E,atLrcay. March CE. ZOO?
Miami —imes, M arni J3i'y
BLsiress Review
Pun Review
Flan a•:ai ab'e `cr cis-•i:;L* on. Creaticr o`
the SEC•D:: Review Pare for rev evv of
DRAFT S OPY, 73131'
F an, soLld be pic.,ed
Lp at CRA. +,Cupont
Officer, Overtow i NET
and Co..4..:ovir NE—
•r,rct- _-
V, rci- 22
2233
C. rn,ients av31 a: e,
contact C1.- Office at ?C5
379-8 C0
Sattrcay, •.aruary 25 2003
Miami Time-v
Town Ha I
Meetirg
CRA Ec; rorric Consal:ar.. =HA .. ciscLss
eccrcmic ara ys s cf SECP.14
Redevelcpine r; Area
Lyric The-te-
tr_1 ••2
io i
=ee 2.:y C:er� for n•!rL:es
325-2F.0-53E0
Satircay. ttovembe-'75 2002
Miami Today. M ami - res
Tow-, Ha I
Meetira
S=OP''.A -aft ?gar
Lyric TI-eate-
10-4:
loci
See Ciy. ; erg for n•irL:es
-3:5-2`0-53c0
1973 - Urban Development & Zoning Plan
1976 - Miami Comprehensive Neighborhood Development Plan
1979-80 - Overtown Redevelopment Plan
1982 - SEOPW Redevelopment Plan
August 1984 - Design Guidelines & Standards for Southeast Overtown / Park West
1984 - Overtown Transit Station Area Design & Development Plan
1989 - Historic Overtown Folklife Village Master Plan
1989 - Downtown Miami Master Plan Submitted Into the public
1997 - Overtown Folklife Village Master Plan (Update) record in connection wi
1998 - NW 3rd Avenue Priority Business Corridor Plan item ?Z on o 1_ bi.
1999 - CRA Fiscal 2000andyear Plan Priscilla A. Tho ps n
Miami sca 5 2000 - Overtown Area Design Charrette Report City Clerk
2000 - Housing Needs & Potential of Overtown / Park west
2002 - Overtown Greenprint Plan
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`. ram Thompson
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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING COMMITTEE
LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT VOLUME INCREASE
AND TAX-EXEMPT PRIVATE ACTIVITY BOND VOLUME CAP INCREASE
WHEREAS, the Low -Income Housing Tax Credit is the primary tool for producing rental housing
across the country; and
WHEREAS, since 1987, more than $3 billion In housing fax credits have been allocated to help
finance more than 900,000 multifamily housing units for lower -income persons; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that in 1999 demand for housing tax credits outstripped supply by
more than 3 to 1; and
WHEREAS, the Low -Income Housing Tax Credit has lost purchasing power due to remaining at
the $1.25 per capita since it was enacted in 1986; and
WHEREAS thousands of units are being removed from the low rent public housing inventory
annually because of their poor physical condition; and
WHEREAS, UHTC should discourage the concentration of poor families in housing
developments and instead promote the revitalization of neighborhoods by providing mbced-
income housing opportunities; and
US Conference of Mayors — 2000
program of 150 units located in 11 cities in suburban Anoka, Hennepin and Ramsey
Counties. The Family Afford -able Housing Program gives families with low incomes the
opportunity to live in neighborhoods outside areas with high levels of poverty.
The units are leased to families on the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Metro
HRA waiting lists. At least 40% of the units must be leased to households with incomes of
30% of area median income or less; the remainder are leased to house -holds with incomes
of 80% of median or less.
Minnesota Metropolitan Council 3/06
Submitted Into the public
record in connection wi h
item Z 3(0 on 10 i(. Cob
Priscilla A. Thompson
'""` City Clerk.
1
ACT, PICO LIFT and PICO National Network are asking HUD and FEMA to
provide a list of federally -subsidized housing units in the New Orleans region,
including the condition of these units and the timeline for bringing them online.
ACT, PICO LIFT and PICO National Network are asking HUD and FEMA to
develop creative strategies for transferring federally owned properties for
redevelopment by non-profit community development organizations.
ACT and PICO LIFT are asking the State of Louisiana to include enough
resources in the state's Community Development Block Grant request to HUD to
build and renovate affordable homeownership and rental housing for the majority of
low and moderate -income displaced families who did not own property in New
Orleans, but still want to return to the city.
ACT and PICO LIFT are asking the State of Louisiana to assure that as part of
block grant request there is funding set aside to enable non-profit developers to
acquire and renovate abandoned and damaged housing for ownership and rental for
displaced families.
ACT and PICO LIFT are asking the State of Louisiana to adopt a 20/20
affordable housing policy that set asides 20 percent of units for low-income families
and 20 percent for low to moderate -income families for all large-scale housing
construction that receives public subsidy for either land acquisition or development.
ACT and PICO LIFT are asking the State of Louisiana to assure that pre -Katrina
renters and homeowners who are not able to rebuild their homes receive first priority
for new affordable housing, including creating pathways for homeownership.
ACT and PICO LIFT are asking the State of Louisiana to convene state
legislative leaders, FEMA officials, local officials, the State Insurance Commissioner
and private insurance companies to address the need for affordable insurance
products for families that want to rebuild in Louisiana.
ACT and PICO LIFT are asking the State of Louisiana to make
that HUD repair and return to use publicly subsidized housing units
Orleans region.
Neighborhood Planning
Submitted Into the public
record in connection with
item 'Q23te on to
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk
a formal request
in the New
Each Sunday thousands of families travel from Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Houston
and across the South to New Orleans to work on their homes and worship together.
A January survey by the City of New Orleans found that the population of the New
Orleans that flooded was down from 350,000 to 50,000, but that the number of
people in the once -flooded areas doubled or more on weekend days. Rising church
attendance and the influx of residents point to the will that families have to return
and rebuild. Over the past month 1,500 people participated in six neighborhood
meetings organized by ACT across New Orleans. Large numbers of people have also
been attending neighborhood civic meetings to voice their needs and intent to
return. ACT will be working over the next six months in six clusters to help families
and congregations have a real say in how our communities are rebuilt, including
4
shaping plans for communities that provide adequate and mixed -income affordable
housing and high quality health, education and recreation opportunities.
ACT is asking the Bring Back New Orleans Commission Urban Planners to
assure that ACT member -congregations have representation on the planning teams
in the planning districts where we are leading rebuilding campaigns.
ACT is asking the Bring Back New Orleans Commission Urban Planners to
send planning staff to attend planning days organized by ACT member -congregations
in each of our six clusters to solicit input and ideas from residents.
4
ACT Is asking the Bring Badc New Orleans Commission Urban Planners to
make mixed -income and affordable housing (including ownership and rental housing)
a necessary part of each neighborhood plan and of the dtywide plan to avoid
concentration of poverty and to create housing opportunities for all families that
want to return.
ACT is asking the Mayor and City Council to use their oversight authority over
the planning process to assure that no neighborhoods are unfairly written off for
redevelopment and that families from all areas of the city are able to have a voice in
the final plan.
ACT Is asking the City of New Orleans to adopt a policy that requires
mixedincome
and affordable housing (including ownership and rental housing) as part of
neighborhood plans and the citywide plan to avoid concentration of poverty and to
create the maximum possible housing opportunities for all families that want to
return.
Submitted Into t s,
record in connection'
item ` 1 x. _.on to _ 0 c.
Priscilla A. Th • meson
City Clerk
5
National Academy of Science — 2006
Submitted Into the public
record in connectin ith
item won a o`
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk
Dr. Lincoln Quillian University of Wisconsin —
Madison Sources of the Spatial Concentration of
Poverty in U.S. Metropolitan Areas Following the
work of Wilson (1987), a major concern in both
social science and policy circles has been the spatial
concentration of low-income households. Research
has shown that neighborhoods with high rates of
concentrated poverty tend to experience problems
like high rates of crime and poor public schools
(Krivo and Petersen 1996). The effect of subsidized
housing policies on the spatial distribution of poverty
has become a major concern in discussions of
housing policy (Turner 1998). My proposed research
while an Urban Scholars fellow aims to better
understand the causes of concentrated poverty in
American cities. My project will focus on
understanding two factors that are likely related to
spatially concentrated poverty: metropolitan
transportation systems and subsidized housing
policies. These factors have not been included in the
most complete prior studies of the causes of
metropolitan poverty concentration (Massey and
Eggers 1990, ]argowsky 1997). There is good reason
to believe that both systems of metropolitan
transportation and subsidized housing policies are
important to understanding poverty concentration.
Because low-income families often do not own cars,
they are constrained to live within urban zones with
good access to public transportation. The nature and
extent of available public transportation then
influences the resulting spatial distribution of low-
6
income households. Likewise, several features of
subsidized housing policy tend to concentrate low-
income households together, contributing to high
rates of poverty in neighborhoods with clusters of
subsidized households (Massey and Kanaiaupuni
1993, Newman and Schnare 1997). A better
understanding of how these factors influence poverty
concentration is important for designing public
transit and housing subsidy programs that minimize
poverty concentration. The extent and means by
which these factors contribute to the concentration
of poverty will be assessed through metropolitan -
level regression analyses. The first stage of the study
will create metropolitan -level measures of
neighborhood poverty concentration using census
tract data for about 50 metropolitan areas in the
1990 and 2000 censuses. The second stage will
combine census data, data from the A Picture of
Subsidized Households dataset (HUD 1998), and
data from the National Transit Database (Federal
Transit Administration 2000) to estimate
metropolitan -level models of factors that contribute
to urban poverty concentration. The study will also
include controls for demographic and economic
factors, and examine how urban characteristics such
as racial segregation may condition the effects of
public transportation systems and housing policy on
poverty concentration.
Submitted Into the public
record in connection ith
item PZ, , on 04
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk
Senate Report 109-109 - TRANSPORTATION, TREASURY, THE
JUDICIARY, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED
AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2006
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends an appropriation of $15,636,064,000 for fiscal
year 2006, including $4,200,000,000 as an advance appropriation to be
made available on October 1, 2006. These funds are $870,144,000 above the
fiscal year 2005 level. Of these amounts, the Committee has allocated
$14,089,756,000 for the renewal of all expiring section 8 contracts;
$192,000,000 for section 8 preservation contracts through tenant
protections; $48,000,000 for family self-sufficiency contracts;
$1,295,408,000 for administrative fees; $5,900,000 for transfer to the
Working Capital Fund; and $5,000,000 for transfer to the Affordable Housing
and Economic Development.
This account provides funding for section 8 tenant -based housing programs
based on a budget -based approach that seeks to ensure funding for vouchers
in use while permitting public housing agencies [PHAs] to fund vouchers up
to the authorized level. This account funds housing for over 2 million families.
Moreover, this level of funding will ensure that PHAs have adequate funds for
all vouchers -in -use. The Committee expects that many PHAs will be able to
pay the cost of all vouchers up to the legal authorized level.
In addition, the account funds incremental vouchers to assist non -elderly
disabled families, vouchers for tenants that live in projects where the owner
of the project has decided to opt -out of the section 8 project -based program,
or for the replacement of other units lost from the assisted housing
inventory. The Committee remains concerned over the increased costs of
section 8 rents over the last few years and what that could mean to this
program in the future. The Committee believes lax administration has
resulted in the spiraling costs of this program and the unacceptably high
costs of rents for low-income housing.
The Committee is optimistic that the budget -based approach will ensure a
more rigorous rent policy and fiscally responsible approach. As a result, the
Committee directs HUD to report semi-annually on rent increases for
affordable, low-income housing throughout the Nation, including the cost to
the government due to its failure to promote or implement a policy for
developing low-income housing, especially in tight rental housing markets.
The Committee also directs HUD to report no later than June 30, 2006 on the
effectiveness of this budget -based approach to vouchers, including the extent
to which available housing units are lost because of new cost adjustments as
well as the impact of this policy on extremely low-income families (those at
or below 30 percent of median income for an area).
Submitted Into the public
record in connectign with
item 77- x on Lb
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk
8
The Committee has also broadened the base for determining the funding for
section 8 vouchers for each PHA by eliminating the 3-month May through
July snapshot of voucher costs and replacing it with the most recent 12-
month period that provides accurate and reliable data. The legislation also
includes up to $45,000,000 for HUD to award funds to PHAs that were
unfairly disadvantaged by the 3-month snapshot and from excessive costs
due to portability over the last year. This funding should eliminate the need
for any central fund.
The Committee includes $192,000,000 for tenant protection assistance. This
represents some $183,000,000 less than the budget request is some
$9,304,000 more than the fiscal year 2005 level. The administration has
assumed the full implementation of a demolition rule for 'obsolete' public
housing. This rule will not be implemented in time to obligate these funds,
especially since HOPE VI remains a viable option for this housing. This
funding does include up to $12,000,000 for section 8 assistance to cover the
cost of judgments and settlement agreements.
The Committee also remains concerned that HUD is not committed to
maintaining section 8 project -based housing and may be encouraging owners
to opt out of the program. This would be a tremendous mistake since
affordable housing needs are growing while the stock of affordable low-
income housing is shrinking. HUD is directed to report no later than June 30,
2006 on the status of HUD's efforts to retain section 8 project -based housing,
including a 5-year analysis of units lost and retained, by year, State, and
locality. HUD is also directed to provide an analysis of all efforts made by
HUD to preserve low-income section 8 units. The Committee also directs GAO
to assess HUD's efforts and success in preserving HUD -assisted low-income
housing, especially section 8 project -based housing, including
recommendations on how better to preserve this housing. This report shall
be submitted to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations no
later than July 15, 2006.
The Committee recommends $1,295,408,000 for administrative fees for
PHAs. These funds are to be allocated on a pro-rata share based on the fiscal
year 2005 allocation. These funds are intended to ensure the success of the
section 8 voucher program, but can be used to provide related low-income
housing, including development costs.
The Committee provides $48,000,000 for Family Self -Sufficiency coordinators
[FSS]. These funds are designed to promote self-sufficiency by moving from
welfare to work. The Department was unable to justify its request for
$55,000,000. Therefore, the Committee directs HUD to provide an
assessment on the use of FSS funds over the last 5 years and projected
future needs. The Committee also directs the HUD Inspector General to
assess the use of FSS funds over the last 5 years.
Submitted Into the public
record in connection with
item Tz . <0 on to‘3<,
Priscilla A. Thompson 9
City Clerk
The Committee includes $5,000,000 to transfer to the Affordable Housing
and Economic Development Technical Assistance Board.
The administration continues to urge the adoption of its block grant proposal
and asserts that PHAs will have the needed flexibility to meet local needs and
conditions and to respond to local rental costs in a more responsible manner.
However, the proposal fails for, among other things, the following reasons:
(1) the proposed funding is inadequate to support current section 8
utilization; and (2) the proposal would eliminate the current section 8
requirement that three-quarter of all vouchers go to extremely low-income
families who are often the elderly, disabled and those most in need of
affordable housing.
These flaws in the section 8 proposal could result in very low and extremely
low-income families and households having to live in substandard housing at
unsustainable rents or else become homeless which would be a greater
burden and cost on the social safety net than the current use of vouchers. In
addition, the proposal could result in PHAs lowering the payment standard for
housing or increasing the rent burden on families. In either case the result
could be a disaster and a retreat on a long-term Federal commitment
designed to eliminate the concentration of low-income families in the
worst and poorest communities.
Submitted Into the public
record in connectiop with
item ?2 �c, on to �1ot.
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk
10
Enforce fair -share housing requirements. By monitoring
cities to make sure they implement their
general plans with respect to providing their fair
share of the region's low-income housing, California
would avoid concentration of affordable
housing and encourage locational choice. The state
could also provide incentives to cities that meet
their requirements. Appropriate incentives might
include levying fair -share housing fees on housing
sales or building permits, or requiring compliance
with housing -element law, as a condition for receiving
transportation and infrastructure funds
Affordable Housing, Opportunities and Constraints for Non-profit
developers
University of California / Berkeley — Policy research center,
3/2001
Submitted Into the public
record in connectio with
item 'P2 xe on a b`
Priscilla A. Tho pson
City Clerk
11
Tearing Down Cabrini-Green
Cabrini-Green Is Gone. Will The Replacement Work?
July 23, 2003
Chicago's North Town Village represents one of the
most daring concepts in public housing today.
(CBS)
PREVIOUS IMAGE
QUOTE
rsXT IMAGE
'We used to go over to people's houses and
spend the night Now they'd rather come
home. And 1 like that."
former Cabrini-Green tenant Sherry Wade, who moved to
North Town Village with her two children
Submitted Into the public
record in connectio with
item? 2) , on le >I.1 c
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk
(CBS) They're finally tearing down Cabrini-Green. For
decades, the red and white tenements near downtown
Chicago have been a blot on the skyline — the nation's
most infamous public housing project, synonymous with
gangs, drugs, misery and murder.
But Cabrini-Green is just the beginning. As
Correspondent Vicki Mabrey first reported last winter,
the plan Is to replace all of Chicago's projects with
beauty ,! new'mixed-income" developments - rich and
Poorliving side by side.
So what do you get when you take the country's most
disadvantaged families, add in some young
professionals, and build them a brand new
neighborhood?
Chicago is finding out.
All over Chicago, they're tearing down the cinderblock
dinosaurs known simply as "the projects."
They have been a disaster — with generations of children
raised in the squalor. But by the end of 2009, 84 53 of
Chicago's public housing high-rises wilt be gone.
Ifs the largest demolition of public housing in the nation's
history, and it will uproot some 40,000 people - many of
whom have never lived anywhere else but in public
housing.
"I'd rather sleep on a cardboard box, in the streets, rather than keep going through what I was going
through," says Larry Sargent.
Sargent grew up in Cabrini-Green, but when he took on sole custody of his baby son, he knew he had to
break the cycle and get out.
However, he never imagined that "out" might mean a brand-new, $70 million development just 100 yards
from Cabrini-Green.
It's called North Town Village and consists of 261 condos and town homes that represent one of the most
daring concepts in public housing today.
A total of 79 families will have the chance to move out of Cabrini-Green and move In there - next to
someone who bought one of the brand-new homes at market rate. A three -bedroom top -of -the. fine town
home like that costs nearly $500,000. But an identical unit next door could be reserved for a Cabrini-Green
family, whose rent Is subsidized by the government.
The project started two years ago with a complex mix of pubic and private funding. The men on the ground
was Peter Holston, an idealistic developer selling this vision of gentrMcatIon with a twist.
"So here's someone coming and buying a $500.0000 town home, and we're telling him in the sales trailer — or
het — that the town home next to you, which is no different than yours, is gonna have a Cabrini-Green family
in it," says Holston. "And these people are not turning away. They're buying them.'
12
Mark and Amanda Tomlinson, young professionals, stopped by the sales trailer the day it opened.
"1 told her just for kicks, Bring the checkbook,' says Mark Tomlinson. "And it was just a feeding frenzy in
there."
The Tomlinsons bought a three -bedroom town house on the spot. Incredibly, all the units sold before they
were even built.
But why would anyone invest In a neighborhood fike this? Because Cabrini-Green, and now North Town
Village, are just a mile away from Chicago's ritziest strip.
'There's tons of shops, great stores, restaurants,' says Amanda Tomlinson.
"You go two blocks one way. you're in public housing,* adds her husband, Mark. "You go two blocks the
other way, you're at Banana Republic?'
Finding buyers was easy. The hard sell was convincing public housing residents to apply, which Holsten
discovered when he made his pitch to a skeptical crowd at a town hall meeting at Cabrini-Green.
Cabrini residents, already angry about being pushed out, thought Holsten's offer sounded too good to be
true.
"These people were amazed," says Holsten. "They're waiting to get taken advantage of. They're waiting to
get screwed. They're waiting for something to go wrong."
But there was no catch, Holsten says. "The catch is, follow the building rules and enjoy yourself in a
wonderful brand-new home."
But for many coming from the chaos of Cabrini-Green, the building rules are barrier enough. On top of the
obvious - no drugs, no loitering, no loud music - there is perhaps the hardest expectation of all: that they fit
in with their wealthy neighbors.
For Sargent, it seemed overwhelming. To get into North Town Village, he and the other applicants would
have to pass a screening process so tough that many people simply dropped out. There's a home
inspection, a criminal background check, and mandatory drug tests.
Wrth that in mind, you might think Sargent's past would disqualify him from landing a spot at the new
development. He spent his youth trying to escape all that's wrong with Cabrini-Green, joining the Army at 17
to get away. But after six years, he ended up right back where he started, and spent the last 15 years
struggling with drug addiction.
But when North Town Village held its first orientation meeting, Sargent was one of the first to arrive.
At the time, Candice Howell was a vice president at Holsten's development company, in charge of the
screening process.
"We're looking for things, red flags, like criminal behavior against property, criminal behavior against
people," she says. "Guns, drugs, convictions. Because we're not miracle workers."
Howell made it dear from Day One that North Town Village would be nothing like Cabrini-Green. And she
literally gave lessons to prospective tenants on how to get along there.
"You get good neighbor training - how do I go out and be a good neighbor," says Howell.
They also required seminars that all families had to attend before moving in. "Every household has to go
through these orientations, and were gonna have a bunch of social events, and we're going to push it," says
Holsten. "Push, push, push the concept of building a community."
Sheri Wade was desperate for a safer community. A run of bad luck landed her at Cabrini-Green eight years
ago. And for her two youngest children — Travis, 12, and Jamilla, 9 — the projects have been a prison. In fact,
Wade says, she had to keep them indoors in order to keep them saf�ubmitted Into the public
record in connection wit
item PZ sc, on la �•
Priscilla A. Thom • so
City Clerk
Sargent and Wade both made it to the next stage of the application process, which included attending a
meeting with some of the buyers.
Wade seemed a shoo-in, but her application hit a snag. Her on -again off -again husband wouldn't pass the
drug test, and she knew it.
So she found herself in a difficult position: her husband on one hand, a brand-new home on the other, and
Howell in the middle. Wade made a wrenching choice. She and her children would leave her husband
behind.
"I couldn't keep having it happen to the whole family," says Wade. "It wasn't just affecting him. It affected the
whole house."
Sargent was determined not to let drugs stand in his way either. He goes regularly for counseling at the VA
hospital — a commitment that helped win him a spot at North Town Village.
As he and his son left Cabrini-Green for the last time, they began a new life just five minutes away, in a
brand-new two -bedroom apartment with a bird's-eye view.
But not everyone will be lucky enough to live in a place like North Town Village. So far, 36 high-rises are
gone, but aside from North Town Village, construction of new replacement housing has barely begun. And
even when it's done, there will be 14,000 fewer public housing apartments than when the demolition first
started. Holsten says this is the biggest hitch in the city's plans.
"There is a huge need in Cabrini alone," says Holsten. "1 believe there are several thousand families left. Ifs
going to be tight. It's going to be really tight"
"This is a crisis. Mixed income isn't the answer," adds Howell. "It's not going to accommodate. It's a fraction
of the need."
The city has been trying to help others find homes outside public housing with mixed results. The developers
say they expected some resentment to be directed at North Town Village. There's already been vandalism
and a couple of break-ins.
But mostly, people at North Town Village are focused on settling in. Amanda Tomlinson says she met a
Cabrini family who moved in next door: "They're great."
They hope their presence there makes a difference. "There's been this cycle of isolation that's gone on for,
you know, 30, 40, years. And my hope is that this breaks the cycle," says Mario Tomlinson. "And 20 years
from now, I think everybody will be happy we did this."
Larry Sargent is also glad he made the move, and 60 Minutes 11 visited him several months after he moved
in. He's been working for the Holsten Group as a maintenance man.
For the first time, he's proud to call his apartment home. It's still a struggle every day, he says, but he hopes
the move will give his son a chance he never had.
"Hell get to see a chance to see another part of ltfe at a young age." says Sargent. "And. you know, won't
faH into no snake pit like 1 did."
Sheri Wade still works hard to make ends meet, but says she's already noticed a change in her children, and
in herself.
'We used to go over to people's houses and spend the night. Now they'd rather come home. And I like that,"
says Wade.
®MMII, CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. Submitted Into the public
record in connection with
item PZ x on to b i,
Priscilla A. Tho p on
City Clerk
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