Kingsport's board of mayor and alderman voted to provide monetary support to a plan to improve aging public housing and replace Lee Apartments. I went to the housing authority to find out more about the project and what work would be done.
Kingsport will be providing the remaining $3 million to fund the rehabilitation of its public housing. The decision came in a board of mayor and alderman vote Tuesday.
The project will involve the demolition and reconstruction of Lee Apartments. Other public housing will receive new kitchens, electrical wiring, and plumbing. They will also be made handicap accessible and be brought up to code.
Another vacant building on the corner of Charlemont Avenue and Broad Street will be renovated for additional housing.
The $50 million project is paid for through community partnerships and a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
"This is an opportunity,” Maria Catron, housing authority deputy director, said. “It's a project that would change really, literally the face of affordable housing for all the folks that we serve within the city of Kingsport."
During the reconstruction of Lee Apartments, residents will be relocated to other public housing or given assistance to rent private housing.
The first phase of the project will be completed within two and a half years.
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