04/05/06

Heated emotions fuel housing workshop

Jerome Ryan didn't plan on speaking Tuesday night.

But after more than an hour of finger-pointing and accusations, the executive director of Tampa Housing Authority stood up and spoke to the crowd debating the future of Grove Terrace Apartments -- the only public housing complex in South County.

"There has to be a better way to live than the way you all are living here now," Ryan said. "Just because you're poor doesn't mean you shouldn't have options. ... When you get to the end of the day, it's all about coming up with decent housing to live in."

Ryan was attempting to calm the concerns of residents challenging Venice Housing Authority's redevelopment project. Tampa Housing has volunteered to help run VHA since the abrupt resignation of its executive director a month ago.

VHA applied Feb. 1 for low-income tax credits to fund the redevelopment project, replacing the 50 current units with 144. City officials, residents of Grove Terrace and community members are challenging the project because they feel the public has been excluded and question the project's quality.

Ryan did not address those issues, but he did make clear that the relocation program using Section 8 vouchers is safe. Residents fear they will be relocated and then their voucher checks eliminated after Grove Terrace is demolished.

As long as a person does not violate the terms of use, Ryan assured residents they will not lose their vouchers "absent an act of Congress."

"These are permanent," Ryan said. "You can use them forever, take them to the end of the country if you want."

Ryan also warned of limited funds. There are only a couple of construction sources out there, and none of them deal with renovating as few as 50 units -- like VHA has right now.

Members of the VHA Residents Council have challenged demolition plans and want to rehabilitate the existing townhouses. Residents Council president Carter Canada cites a 2004 engineering report, conducted by VHA, that suggests only $1.3 million is needed to rehabilitate the 35-year-old buildings.

VHA has since claimed in its demolition application it would cost more than $7 million to fully rehabilitate the 50 units, in contrast to $11.3 million to demolish and rebuild 72 units. It would apply in 2007 for tax credits to pay for the remaining 72 units.

Based on his walk-through inspection Tuesday, Ryan told the crowd it would cost much more than $1.3 million to fully renovate. Going from 50 to 144 units also is rare and should be embraced because many housing redevelopment projects are for fewer units rather than more.

Many residents are opposed to the project for that very reason. They fear most of the units will go to families making 60 percent of Sarasota County's median income -- about $35,000 per year -- instead of going to those at the bottom end, and is nothing more than a ploy to relocate Venice's poor population from valuable real estate.

"The residents council stands opposed to this project," Canada said.

By J.J. Andrews

Assistant Editor

http://www.venicegondolier.com/NewsArchive3/040506/tp2vn10.htm