One Westside, a collaborative project aimed at revitalizing the Westside area, shared significant progress it made during the first quarter of the year.
The Chattanooga Housing Authority and the City of Chattanooga were awarded a $50 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant last summer, with the project being scored as the top-ranking project in the nation.
With seven phases delivering a total of 1,126 new mixed-income units during the CNI grant period, One Westside’s Phase I Housing launched last month with a groundbreaking at the site of the now demolished YFD Center. Phase IA will provide 64 units with Phase IB providing 166 units for a combined total of 230 new mixed-income units.
Of those units, 92 will be replacement units for College Hill Courts residents. With five companies submitting bids, Block Companies was selected for construction as the general contractors.
With Phase I underway, the project is now focusing on the design for Phases 2A and 2B, which will be located on the vacant land south of Gateway Tower. In alignment with the “build first” strategy, Phase 2 will provide 144 new mixed-income units, including 66 replacement units for College Hill Courts residents.
As part of resident engagement, the CNI One Westside People Plan is on track. Of the 350 targeted original households, a majority has enrolled in case management services. The case management services provide key pillars of service to residents including: economic mobility, education, housing and health and wellness. Working with various community partners, residents will be on individualized plans to work toward self-sufficiency.
One of the most exciting projects within One Westside is the ongoing construction of the James A. Henry community “Hub”. With 51% of construction complete, the project is on schedule to finish by year end.
CHA Executive Director Betsy McCright said, “Under the direction of our master developer Columbia Residential, we’re seeing exciting changes beginning to take place that will provide our first phase of resident housing next year.” She added, “Efforts at the James A. Henry Community Hub will provide a glimpse of the future and we can’t to wait to open our doors to the first class of Head Start students. We continue to move forward with gratitude for the dedication and commitment so many in our community are providing to Chattanooga’s oldest public housing community. Together, we’re building something amazing for the future.”