Transforming public housing

The Fort Worth Housing Authority has made strides in recent years in transforming affordable housing from what once were referred to as “the projects” into upscale-looking facilities located throughout the community.

Yet Cavile Place Apartments on the city’s southeast side still bears the mark of the old public housing model — the traditional red-brick structures with little landscaping and a high concentration of residents.

Two years ago the housing authority announced plans for a major redevelopment of the property, including demolishing all 300 units and replacing them with 225 new ones while also working with the Fort Worth Housing Finance Corp. to acquire vacant lots for gardens, parks and 190 homes for rental and ownership.

The $112 million proposal requires substantial federal funding. Disappointment came this week when the housing authority learned that it did not win the first $500,000 federal grant for which it applied.

But that was a “planning grant,” and officials said its loss will not be a setback because they already have a plan in place and the agency is still eligible for an implementation grant of $30 million to $50 million.

Fort Worth must continue to transform public housing, and the Cavile Place proposal has to be a key part of that effort.

This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Transforming public housing."