KC housing project is likely to be razed and replaced with something better
Kansas City LISC is working with the Housing Authority of Kansas City to revitalize Chouteau Courts, one of the city's oldest housing projects.
3 Jan 2012 - James Hart, Kansas City Star
Excerpt:
One of Kansas City’s oldest — and least loved — housing projects could be demolished in a few years.
The Chouteau Courts apartments, built in the 1950s, sit northwest of Independence Avenue and the Paseo. Whenever someone applies for public housing, Chouteau Courts is always the last place they ask to move, officials say. Even people who live there want to see it razed.
“The place is in terrible condition,” said Karla Parker, a 10-year resident. “They need to tear it down, big time.”
That’s exactly what the Housing Authority of Kansas City wants to do. Last year, the agency won a $250,000 federal grant to write a transformation plan for replacing Chouteau Courts, possibly with market-rate apartments. Moreover, they want to work with other groups to improve the area’s basic services, such as education and public transportation.
It’s part of a larger effort by the federal government that encourages local housing authorities to replace complexes like Chouteau Courts with mixed-income neighborhoods — where poverty isn’t as concentrated, said Tiffany Thomas Smith, a Department of Housing and Urban Development spokeswoman. Continued[+]...
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> Visit the Kansas City LISC website.
Article Type: News