When the Kansas City Housing Authority announced their plan to put affordable housing in the Northland many people were upset.
Quickly, they began to gather thousands of signatures in opposition to the plan, which the Housing Authority said is being misunderstood.
They’re changing parts of the proposal after meeting with the community and engaging in on-going discussion with city leaders.
The KC Housing authority is changing a proposal for affordable housing in the Northland. That update tonight at 5pm @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/gSwMf8bYeG
— Steven Dial (@StevenDialTV) July 19, 2017
One key change is the dropping of the southernmost proposed site on Platte Purchase Road, which was closer to an existing neighborhood.
People who live at Chouteau Courts say the decades-old property has seen better days.
"Walls and stuff are coming down. Leaks in the ceilings. They need to tear it down," said Kameisha Redmond, who lives at Chouteau Courts.
Now the Housing Authority wants to move people living here to newer buildings.
In 2015, they won a 30 million dollar grant to tear down Chouteau Courts and put those residents in a better living environment. That project has to be done by 2020.
The rules of the grant also call for housing in an area of opportunity, like the Northland.
"They want to be viewed as part of a community. That they are not isolated and viewed as oh that is a public housing resident," said Edwin Lowndes, Executive Director with the Kansas City Housing Authority.
Part of the plan is already complete. The agency has already moved 100 residents, though not all to the same place.
"We are not taking the 134 units and putting them in one place and concentrating them in any one single place," Lowndes said.
He said only one third of residents will be families with low income.
There original proposal on the south part of North Platte Purchase is no longer in play, but the Housing Authority is still pursuing the northern piece of land.
"The units are the same. So if a family paying full market value moves out it may be a family that low income will move in,” Lowndes said.
Kameisha Redmond said it's a move that her family is willing to make.
"It would be better than where we are at," said Redmond.
The community session yesterday was cancelled as the Kansas City Housing Authority regroups.
They said they’re not sure what the next steps are, but will continue to take input and notify stakeholders of any future meetings.
