CHA plans closure of College Hill, East Lake Courts

Chattanooga Housing Authority has plans to close College Hill Courts.

Chattanooga Housing Authority may apply for the demolition or sale of College Hill Courts in 2015 and the demolition or sale of East Lake Courts in 2017, according to its 2015 Annual Agency Plan.

CHA officials say nothing is set in stone, but it is possible for the application process for College Hill Courts, its oldest and largest public housing site, to begin in the next year.

If an application is submitted, it takes a year just to get approval, said Naveed Minhas, CHA's vice president of development.

"The deferred maintenance and dollars necessary to sustain these projects is extremely high," said Minhas, CHA's vice president of development. "So we know that sooner than later, we will ultimately have to apply for a disposition or demolition. The properties are not sustainable in the long-term."

CHA estimates it will take $100 million, with $50 million spent at each site, to bring College Hill and East Lake Courts up to standards. The sites were constructed in the 1940s and include more than 900 households.

Units at both sites have outdated sewer systems, outdated electrical systems and issues with mold and leaking roofs, said Minhas.

CHA will hold its monthly meeting at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday when it calls for public comments concerning its 2015 Annual Agency Plan.

College Hill Courts residents had mixed feelings about the site's future.

"I have to have somewhere to live," said Patricia Lindsey, a resident of more than 20 years. "Keep it and fix it up."

"Tear it down," said Lisa Bragg, whose 20-year-old son was shot dead on the site. She compared College Hill courts to a war zone.

Public housing residents may have legitimate concerns about relocation.

Public housing in the city is decreasing and people in the Housing Choice Voucher program, formerly known as Section 8, have a difficult time finding a landlord to accept their voucher.

Only 30 percent of people with vouchers find landlords to rent to them, according to CHA officials.

More than 600 units of public housing have been demolished or sold in the past 10 years, with the demolition of the 188-unit Maurice Poss Homes in 2005 and the pending demolition of the Harriet Tubman housing development.

The 2015 Agency Plan also lists the possible disposition of Missionary Heights Apartments and Glenwood-Devel Lane. The plan states that Cromwell Hills and Dogwood Manor could become mixed income sites.

CHA tells residents they should not be alarmed by the possibility of the demolition, disposition application process.

CHA has to meet with residents and inform them of the agency's intentions before it submits a demolition or disposition application to HUD. CHA also must have a resident relocation plan. None of that has been established, Minhas said.

"Residents have nothing to worry about," he said. "But they ought to know that sooner or later it's going to happen. It's as simple as that."

A copy of the CHA's 2015 Annual Agency Plan is on its website at chahousing.org. Click on "about" and scroll to near the bottom of the page.

For the Harriett Tubman Homes demolition project, CHA met in March 2011 to inform Harriet Tubman residents of its intent to apply for the demolition or sale. CHA got approval and started relocating residents by December of that year. The site was vacant by the end of 2012. Chattanooga purchased the site in March 2014 and demolition is scheduled for this fall.

Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-7576431.