At a crossroad: Proposed redevelopment of property along Etowah Terrace has some South Rome residents at odds 04/05/09 By Diane Wagner, Rome News-Tribune staff writer Respond to this story Email this story to a friend ... ...The Rome City Commission is expected to decide Monday about a rezoning that would change the face of South Rome. Supporters and detractors are lined up on either side of the proposed $10.5-million Etowah Terrace Senior Residences, a four-story apartment complex with 77 units for low- to moderate-income people. The building at the corner of Etowah Terrace and South Broad Street would be the cornerstone of a phased development that includes income-restricted apartments for families and a public park and walking trail along the river. Several community meetings have failed to quell the heated debate. A final public hearing is scheduled for the commission’s 6 p.m. meeting at City Hall, 601 Broad St. The neighborhood debate Opponents say the project violates the South Rome Redevelopment Corp.’s 2004 master plan, which touted homeownership as the key to revitalizing the deteriorated area. A petition signed by 367 people charges that low-income rental housing will stall revitalization efforts, add nothing to Rome’s tax base and waste valuable riverfront property. “A number of people asked to buy and renovate one of those homes but (the SRRDC) said they wanted to sell it all to a single entity,” said Jean Cahill, who contends the land is better-suited for tourism activities.. “If four or five people had gone in and fixed one up, everyone would have wanted to buy there.” Members of the SRRDC board, however, said they were wrong about initially focusing on eliminating absentee landlords — and supporters, including the Rev. Carey Ingram of Lovejoy Baptist Church, have publicly voiced agreement with the new “holistic” approach. “If you create affordable housing choices, other landlords in the area will have to compete by improving their properties,” said Roger Smith, a banker and SRRDC board member. “And, if the schools are good, people want to live there. When you create a demand, that’s when private entrepreneurs get interested.” The property history The SRRDC spent 2005 and 2006 trying to raise money for a gateway sculpture garden on the site, to entice investment and raise interest in establishing an artists’ district on Etowah Terrace. Those efforts failed in the face of high crime and a deteriorated housing stock. In 2007 the organization paid $475,000 to Tom and Jane Berry for nearly five acres encompassing 12 houses on Etowah Terrace and Poor Man’s Pawn Shop on South Broad Street, and again tried to interest investors. “A lot of people talked and looked, but only one family was willing to put money down,” SRRDC Executive Director Karen Moore said. “There was just nobody who stepped up to the table.” The pawn shop was demolished in 2008, as Shorter College officials were considering the site for its business and nursing schools. But the board of trustees ultimately decided to look elsewhere. Mercy Housing Southeast made its pitch later that summer. Howard Gibson, chief building official for Rome and Floyd County, said most of the houses along Etowah Terrace don’t meet the building code and have become havens for squatters and illegal activity. “The original parts of the houses were made well, but the add-ons are unsafe,” Gibson said. “Those were some nice old houses, and they probably could have been renovated, but they’ve fallen into such disrepair it wouldn’t be cost-effective.” The Senior Residences plan The SRRDC and Mercy Housing are proposing to create a “pocket neighborhood” anchored by the senior apartment complex at 1 Etowah Terrace. A bone of contention is that only one occupant in each apartment occupant must be aged 50 or older, but Mercy project manager Wendy Green said that’s the requirement for the federal category of tax credits that will make the building financially feasible. The 35 one-bedroom apartments would rent for $415 to $475 a month and the 42 two-bedroom units would go for $540 to $600 a month. Seven of the units would be open to any senior citizen, with the balance reserved for those earning less than the Area Mean Income. Using the AMI for Floyd County, that equals $21,060 for an individual and up to $30,120 for a four-person household. Among the proposed ground-floor amenities are a fitness center, computer room, community room, laundry and library. Mercy Housing also would provide activities and classes focusing on health and wellness, continuing education and financial literacy. Smith said the package is well thought-out and includes annual background checks on the renters, apartment inspections and a limit on the number of people who can live in one apartment. “There are rules,” he said. “And, if it’s nice enough, you don’t want to break the rules.” The Etowah Terrace Village plan A similar set-up for low- to moderate-income families is planned for the second phase, which would follow the public Kingfisher Trail path and park planned along the river on Etowah Terrace. The city is planning to use a $100,000 federal grant to build the project during the first phase of development. A reconstruction of the congested, three-way intersection at Etowah Terrace, South Broad and Myrtle Street also is scheduled. Green said the second phase is still in the concept stage and hard plans aren’t expected to be drawn up until 2010. “We want to get a lot more feedback (from the surrounding community) before we go to our architect and, hopefully, we’ll have more buy-in for that,” she said. Conceptual plans call for 50 family apartments spread among several buildings separated by greenspace. Mercy Housing also intends to restore the “Captain’s House,” an old home reportedly once owned by a local riverboat captain, for use as a community center. The project players Mercy Housing Southeast is a subsidiary of Mercy Housing Inc., a Denver nonprofit dedicated to “developing, financing and operating affordable, program-enriched housing for families, seniors and people with special needs.” Mercy Senior Care in Rome is not directly affiliated with Mercy Housing, although both trace their roots to the Sisters of Mercy, an order of Catholic nuns. The local entity – which offers health, employment and support services to the elderly – originally planned to be part of the Etowah Terrace Senior Residences project but was not able to come up with funding. “We hope to get into the next phase (of development),” Mercy Senior Care Director Rita Lawler said. “Our office is that older building at 212 W. Third St. and we’ve absolutely just outgrown it.” Northwest Georgia Housing Authority is not a partner in the Etowah Terrace project but would subsidize up to 20 of the units through the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program for low-income renters. The planning commission recommendation The rezoning application is going before the City Commission with a unanimous recommendation to deny from the Rome-Floyd County Planning Commission, a board of citizen-appointees charges with reviewing proposed land-use changes. Opponents packed the March 5 hearing and raised issues regarding the effect of “public housing” on traffic, property values and the pattern of redevelopment in South Rome. Planning Commission member Elaina Beeman, who is a manager for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, also said security could be an issue. Beeman questioned Green closely on the plans and pointed to a subsidized housing project in Armuchee that is deteriorating due to a lack of qualified tenants. “That’s going to look like the Housing Authority’s high-rise,” she said. The SRRDC offered a July 2008 study commissioned by Mercy Senior Care as part of its long-range plan as proof that the Etowah Terrace project is needed. Doug Bachtel, a professor of housing and consumer economics at the University of Georgia, found residents aged 65 and older make up 13.9 percent of Floyd County’s population compared to 9.6 percent statewide. The study also showed nearly 40 percent of Floyd County’s elderly live below the poverty limit. The Rome-Floyd County planning staff is recommending approval of the rezoning in a report that notes some of the area is in a flood plain and can not be developed. “The subject location, which is separated from predominantly single-family neighborhoods by South Broad Street, the Etowah River, undeveloped land and other development, provides an appropriate location,” the report states. Etowah Terrace Web-link timeline: Oct. 19, 2004 The Rome City Commission adopted a 535-page master plan Monday to be used as a guide for redeveloping South Rome. However, several residents said they worried that the plan would displace longtime residents and make the area too expensive for renters and elderly owners on fixed incomes. July 18, 2005 South Rome Redevelopment Corp. proposes a $250,000 sculpture garden and park at the corner of South Broad Street and Etowah Terrace. Feb. 5, 2006 Rome is upgrading the drainage on several South Rome streets but plans to create a sculpture garden and gateway park are moving slowly. March 14, 2006 A proposed arts district in South Rome would work better if it was centered on Butler Street instead of along Etowah Terrace, a consultant told the South Rome Redevelopment Corp. March 22, 2006 The Rome Area Council for the Arts is considering the possibility of buying a building in South Rome for its offices. Dec. 5, 2007 The SRRDC bought 12 houses on Etowah Terrace and the Poor Man s Pawn Shop on South Broad Street for $475,000. May 15, 2008 Karen Moore, executive director of South Rome Redevelopment Corp., said the company has been negotiating with Shorter College s Board of Trustees since early spring for a new building to house their expanding School of Business and new nursing school program. June 18, 2008 Moore said a trip is planned for a group from Rome to visit with the 13-year-old East Lake Foundation to see first-hand the changes that have been made. The SRRDC is interested in using the East Lake model in its ongoing revitalization efforts. Nov. 18, 2008 A series of property transactions approved by the Rome City Commission on Monday creates a swath of land ripe for development along the Etowah River. Jan. 15, 2009 The city wants to use a $100,000 recreational trails grant to build the Kingfisher Trail on the South Rome side of the Etowah River from the South Broad Street bridge to Silver Creek as part of the Etowah Terrace redevelopment. Feb. 12, 2009 The Rome Community Development Committee on Wednesday approved a resolution in support of the first phase of a planned senior housing project in South Rome. Feb. 24, 2009 Approximately 70 people packed into the South Rome Neighborhood Association Building on Pennington Avenue Tuesday night to hear about a planned senior housing development on Etowah Terrace. Most were not happy. March 31, 2009 A presentation on the proposed Etowah Terrace Village concept failed to change the minds of opponents. Click to see the audio slideshows: Etowah Terrace: In their own words. [romegoogle]     No Related links found

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