January 5, 2010
THREE POINTS RENEWAL: Montgomery partners with firm to revitalize neighborhood
By Jill Nolin
Milton Shepherd Jr. remembers when his neighborhood, which is on the outskirts of downtown Montgomery, was a thriving community with businesses and services. The 59-year-old wants that neighborhood back.
So does the city of Montgomery.
"We used to have a washateria and stores and bakers. We used to have all that in the neighborhood. That's what I would like to see happen in the future," said Shepherd, who is the coordinator for the Three Points Neighborhood Watch.
A small nook just south of Cottage Hill and to the east of Interstate 65, the Three Points neighborhood always has been generally lumped with "west Montgomery." Now the neighborhood is trying to brand itself as Three Points, and the city has a plan to help the neighborhood drastically change its image.
The plan calls for a three-phase project that will cost $25 million just in the first phase and will create a mixed-use, mixed-income development in what is now a distressed part of the downtown area.
The project also would preserve the more than one-mile segment of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail that connects Mount Zion AME Zion Church on Holt Street to the state Capitol.
But the city of Montgomery does not intend to do it alone. In fact, such a large-scale project only is possible because the city has partnered with more than 20 other entities, according to Community Development director Desmond Wilson.
"The (public) funds just don't go far enough. To do a project of this magnitude, you've got to bring other organizations into the mix and make it work" said Wilson, who grew up in the neighborhood.
That includes a public-private partnership with a group called the Five Star Consortium LLC. Mike Ingersoll, managing partner for Five Star, said the for-profit company plans to invest about $10 million into the first phase.
Like with Lanier Court, a housing development off West Fairview Avenue, and other projects along West Fairview Avenue, the city is making the initial investment in hopes of spurring interest from the private sector.
"Again, it's one of those things where the government is sort of priming the pump to redevelop the area. It's similar to a field of dreams where the private sector will hopefully come in and help with the redevelopment effort," Deputy Mayor Jeff Downes said.
The city likely would spend, at the most, up to $2 million of city funds throughout the life of the entire project, according to Wilson.
The rest of the funding will come from other sources, such as Community Development Block Grants from the federal government. Wilson said the city is concentrating a consider portion of its CDBG allocations in the Three Points area.
Five Star, since it is a private company, will be able to use new market tax credits offered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury through the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. Ingersoll said the credits, which are for economic development projects in distressed areas, are available for 39 percent of the total project cost.
But before any physical changes will happen in Three Points, Five Star must first finish acquiring the properties in the area. About half of the properties, which are throughout the neighborhood but are concentrated along Mobile and Mildred streets, already have been acquired. One of those buildings housed the K&C Lounge, which was not allowed to renew its lease.
Then the transformation will begin. Wilson said there are not many commercial structures that are salvageable, so the buildings will either be deconstructed and rebuilt with the original materials or they will be demolished entirely.
Initial focus will be placed on the intersection of Mildred and Mobile streets, which Downes said would be the epicenter of the development. The goal is to bring businesses and services to this commercial area. Lofts also could be built.
A component of the project would offer assistance to homeowners in the area who are willing to restore the homes in the area.
What happens in the second and third phases depend on the success of the first phase. Five Star has signed a contract with the city of Montgomery saying it will redevelop the area in five years. If the project is not a success, the city will become the owner of the acquired properties.
Wilson compared the project to what is known as the Sweet Auburn Historical District in Atlanta. Like the Three Points neighborhood, Sweet Auburn is a historically important black neighborhood that started to die off when the interstate system cut the area off from the community.
Prior to Interstate 65, the neighborhood stretched over to West Jeff Davis Avenue. After that, it became an undefined area off by itself on the other side of the interstate.
Wilson said the city wants to mimic what was done right with Sweet Auburn and improve upon things it believes could have been done better. The intention is make the Three Points neighborhood's link of the Selma to Montgomery Trail an area where tourists will feel safe to visit.
There are about 400 households in the area, and right now the majority of those homes are rentals. It's important for the neighborhood's future for that to change, said Clare Watson, who is the coordinator for the Weed and Seed program in Montgomery.
Three Points is part of the Weed and Seed, which is a U.S. Department of Justice program that is strategy-based, as opposed to grant-based, and focuses on neighborhoods with violent crime, drug abuse and gang activity.
"You need people living there with a stake in the neighborhood. Enticing people to move back gives support to the people who have started the neighborhood watch," Watson said, referring to the people who started the neighborhood watch about five years ago.
"There are people who are trying to improve the neighborhood. They just need more support," Watson added.
Gary Sharp, project manager for the city, said the project will include affordable housing, but he said that does not mean the quality of the housing will be compromised. The goal is to create a diverse community.
Shepherd said he and other residents in the neighborhood are anxious to hear more about what that plan entails. The information void has left residents worried about what might come into the neighborhood, according to Shepherd. The Holt Street residents, he said, the homeowners just do not want more clubs or game rooms.
Wilson stressed that project is not intended to displace the residents. Rather, he said the goal is to create jobs through new businesses in the area.
Sharp said the federal government's definition of economic development success is creating one job per $25,000 invested for two years.
Montgomery officials are looking to revitalize the Three Points neighborhood, which includes locations on Mildred and Mobile streets.
This is an artist’s rendering of a completed Mobile Street/Five Star project.
Buildings along Mobile Street in the Three Points neighborhood, including K&C Lounge, mostly sit unused.
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