HUNTINGTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Huntington West Virginia Housing Authority officials are hopeful the sale of the Northcott Court property will be finalized this year.
The process has been extensive, spanning more than a year, Huntington West Virginia Housing Authority Executive Director Larry Ellis said.
An environmental review and a release of funds ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” although there are no funds being released by the federal government ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” will be the final item to be complete before the housing authority can start negotiations for the sale of the property with developers Fairmount Properties.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIt was quite intense as far as getting all the required documentation submitted to the HUD field office in Baltimore to have their approval and then send the entire package on to the special application center for HUD, and we are waiting on their approval to remove the declaration of trust to sell to a developer by the name of Fairmount Properties,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Ellis said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œHe is under auction for fair market value armÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s length transaction of that site.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
The housing authority has been informed that the special application center has the documents, which are in someoneÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s hands now, Ellis said. The application process has hit delays, but Ellis said once the declaration of trust is released, the housing authority will hash out the final price, which is at appraised value fair market armÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s length transaction and then negotiate the final acquisition.
Once the housing authority receives the approval to remove the declaration of trust, the closing could take 120-160 days.
The former Northcott Court site was a 129-unit affordable housing structure built in 1940, Ellis said.
In 2010, the housing authority started a process of applying for a low-income housing tax credit to renovate the site. Through KYOVA Interstate Planning Commission and the Hal Greer Boulevard plan, it wasnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t determined the best use for the property was to turn it into commercial space. Demolition started in 2013 and completed in 2016-17, Ellis said.
The plan to turn the site, once used for housing, into commercial property came out of the Fairfield Innovation Plan, which was developed with the active involvement of former Northcott Court residents, community leaders, residents of the Fairfield neighborhood and a variety of affordable housing, education and social service providers.
The Fairfield Innovation Plan was created using a $350,000 planning grant under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s (HUD) Choice Neighborhoods Initiative. The planning grant gave officials the chance to create a proposal to enhance the community.
The plan proposed a mixed-use development with a grocery store for the Northcott site.
During the process, many residents expressed the need for a grocery store in the area, which is a food desert. Several rental units are nearby, with some tenants only able to walk to stores, Ellis said.
When Teresa Johnson, Huntington City Councilwoman representing Fairfield, moved with her husband to Huntington in 1978, Fairfield had several walkable grocery stores in the area such as Food Fair, Kroger and a strip mall where a portion of Cabell Huntington Hospital is now.
Over the years, the grocery stores turned into commercial property and the closest grocery stores to Fairfield residents now are the Kroger stores on 5th and 7th avenues.
When Northcott was torn down, residents were told a grocery store would go up in its place. While the redevelopment of the property has taken longer than anyone expected, Johnson said she hopes when a developer does buy the property, it puts in a grocery store.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe have our seniors, we have some that donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t drive ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” IÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™m watching people get off the bus at TTA and carry groceries and have been doing it for some years now,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Johnson said.
Johnson said the grocery store is needed, especially now with more housing complexes opening or being built in the area.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe have a lot of new buildings and apartments and duplexes going up, but no grocery store,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Johnson said.
Johnson said she hopes a grocery store will be built and would also love to see a place for people to grow their own businesses.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a lot of things that we do not have in this community,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Johnson said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI would love to see places that people could go in and lease buildings or lease a space that they can do their businesses. We lack so much in Fairfield. That would be great.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
When the property is sold, Johnson said she hopes to have a meeting with the developers about the needs of Fairfield.
Ellis said there are no guarantees of what will be able to go in the property once sold. However, the developer has been optimistic about its ability to get a grocery store placed on a portion of the land, he said.
Fairmount Properties is not new to the area. It developed the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation at Marshall University. Ellis said Fairmount Properties has listened to the community over the years ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” attending public meetings and reading all the studies for the property.
Ellis said the redevelopment will be commercial and might not include any potential housing, such as the Fairfield Innovation Plan suggested. The plan suggested 91 units of housing, anchored by a full-service grocery store and additional retail and community space.
Over the years, the area has changed from a residential hub to now a commercial hub, Ellis said.
Huntington Housing Authority future plans
The housing authority plans to use the money from the sale to do an environmental assessment and prepare the former West Middle School for demolition. The housing authority will also do a market study to evaluate where affordable housing is going to be needed on the land it already owns.
Units will be dictated by zoning and funding available. Ellis said he hopes the housing authority can build at least a 40-unit site.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThat fits into our boxes as far as maintenance, management, everything involved in a planned development,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Ellis said.
Ellis said more affordable housing, market rate rental housing, homeownership and bringing people back in permanent residence is needed. The housing authorityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s total combined waiting lists are around 4,000 people who have already applied for housing, between Section 8 and public housing, he said.
