Cavile Place ‘transformation plan’ needs update, official says

The Fort Worth Housing Authority did not win the first federal grant it applied for to kick off a proposed $112 million transformation of the Cavile Place public housing complex and its neighborhood.

The $500,000 planning grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) wasn’t necessary for the project because the authority already has a plan, said Naomi Byrne, president of the Fort Worth Housing Authority.

And the project is still eligible for a $30 million to $50 million implementation grant that the authority will apply for in late 2015 or early 2016.

“We already have a plan in place, but we wanted to get our name in front of HUD,” Byrne said. “Some of the information in the Cavile Place Neighborhood Transformation Plan will be used as we look at applying for a Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant.”

The 10- to 15-year plan includes demolishing all 300 units at Cavile Place in east Fort Worth and replacing them with 225 new units on site and dispersing the other 75 units.

A joint effort of the Fort Worth Housing Authority and the Fort Worth Housing Finance Corp., which is made up of Fort Worth City Council members, the ambitious plan also includes acquisition of vacant lots throughout the neighborhood and turning them into community gardens, parks and about 190 homes for both rental and homeownership.

The effort is unfunded, but the plan calls for $66.6 million to develop rental properties, $7.5 million for home ownership, $17.1 million for retail and commercial development and $20.8 million for infrastructure work.

Phase one of the plan, which includes acquisition of 27.5 acres in the area, was originally set to begin in June 2013.

Because of the delays, Byrne said it is time to update the 88-page redevelopment plan.

“Basically, we have a transformation plan that we developed over a year ago, and as we have gone back and reviewed it, there are still some tweaks that can be made,” Byrne said.

For example, a $32 million makeover of East Rosedale Street — which started in November 2013 — is months from completion and needs to be reflected in the current plan, Byrne said.

Councilwoman Gyna Bivens said she also wants to utilize $6.9 million of bond money from a previous bond election. Originally slated for improvements on Lake Shore Drive, Bivens said that project is “no longer viable.”

“There are just some very basic transportation needs,” Bivens said, but added she is waiting to hear back from city staff about using the money at Cavile. Some of her priorities would be sidewalks and lighting.

“Kids have to walk in the mud to get to” a school, said Bivens.

This report includes information from Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published March 30, 2015 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Cavile Place ‘transformation plan’ needs update, official says."