SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Metropolitan Housing Authority has started taking applications for the second phase of its Lincoln Park overhaul.
The housing authority received a $20 million HOPE VI federal grant to raze the aging Lincoln Park townhouses and replace them with new, mostly single family homes. The first phase of rental homes has been completed and occupied.
The original plans called for 38 homes for sale. But the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development nixed that idea, in large part due to changes in the housing market since the plans were developed about six years ago.
“Who would have predicted the financial crisis back in 2002 or 2003?” said Danielle Mulligan, HOPE VI administrator.
If the homes couldn’t be sold, the empty houses or lots would hurt the neighborhood, Executive Director Barbara Stewart said.
Instead, 24 three-bedroom, lease-to-own homes financed with tax credits are under construction. Four homes should be done this month. Interested tenants can call (937) 322-2471 to inquire about renting the income-restricted houses.
The homeownership element isn’t completely eliminated. The second-phase homes can be purchased after 15 years and tenants can receive a $1,000 credit for every year of occupancy, up to $10,000.
“This is the best resolution ... We can move at least 24 of those units into homeownership at some point,” Stewart said. “That’s definitely something to shoot for.”
Another piece available later this year will be down-payment assistance to purchase homes, preferably near Lincoln Park.
The development includes a park and community center, which has a computer lab and a variety of agencies offering services and programs.
Those services, such as gardening programs, also give neighbors a chance to know each other and the staff.
“They are building community,” Mulligan said.
Lincoln Park now looks significantly better than the old townhouses, Stewart said.
“It’s a very colorful, happy-looking neighborhood right now,” she said. “It used to be kind of blah and not anything you would call other than depressed. It’s a major difference.”
