Thursday, June 17, 1999
Lincoln Court plan is object of suit
Group seeks halt to demolition
BY MARK CURNUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The West End Community Council and a resident of Lincoln Court public housing apartments in the West End filed suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court against the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and federal officials seeking to halt demolition of the complex.
The local housing authority (CMHA) won a $31.1 million Hope VI grant from the federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to demolish and rebuild Lincoln Court as a mixed-income commu nity.
Demolition started April 5. Buildings will be demolished and rebuilt in stages, and CMHA has an agreement with residents that they will be allowed to return.
The main problem is the lack of specifics related to the return of residents, said Ivan Tamarkin, attorney for the plaintiffs.
“The main issue is the right and guarantee that they can come back once the project is finished,” he said Wednesday.
In an April 29 letter to Dick Rust of CMHA, contained in the suit, Mr. Tamarkin spelled out his clients' demands:
• Development of a plan to spell out which residents displaced by the demolition of Lincoln Court will have the option to move back to new Lincoln Court units.
• Relocation payments higher than the current $50.
• A stipend for residents who participate in committee meetings with CMHA officials.
• Resignations of the president and vice president of the Lincoln Court Executive Council.
• Monthly written reports of Lincoln Court progress to the West End Community Council, who Mr. Tamarkin said, are employed by CMHA and are in a conflict-of-interest situation.
• Involvement of the West End Community Council on development committees to ensure West End residents are treated fairly.
CMHA Executive Director Donald Troendle was not available Wednesday for comment.
In all, 53 buildings at Lincoln Court will be demolished, and 2,000 people will be moved out of their homes. The plan reduces the number of housing units, from 886 to about 500.
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