NEWPORT — Another portion of Newport's old face is about to change, as 24 new single-family homes rise from the ruins of a block of older structures on Ann Street.

        Local dignitaries gathered Monday morning on Ann Street with about 100 other people to break ground for the $2.6 million project, known as the Ann Street Revitalization.

        The project is a joint effort of the city of Newport and Brighton Center, which formed Newport Housing Development Corp. in conjunction with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, Fifth Third Bank and the Drees Co.

        “We're making changes in Newport, and it's not easy,” Mayor Tom Guidugli said. “There were issues and problems to be overcome before we could make this work.

        “I think it's important to point out that this is the first of what we hope will be many such projects in the city's basin area,” he said.

        “I wonder if anyone can remember the last time a new house was built in the west end.”

        The new homes, to be built by Drees, will be two-, three- and four-bedroom houses from $98,000 to $109,000.

        All will feature off-street parking, and some will have garages, a major factor in an area where on-street parking is at a premium.

        Valerie Adams, executive director of the Newport Housing Development Corp., said the main intention of the Ann Street project and other projects to come is “to bring back single-family home ownership in the community. Many of the buildings on Ann Street were rentals with absentee landlords.”

        She said the city and Brighton Center, Northern Kentucky's largest social-service agency, want to revitalize the area on the city's west side in much the same way that the east end, including the Mansion Hill and Gateway neighborhoods, has been restored.

        “We're looking for a mixed-use approach, with some houses that can be restored and rehabilitated to stay in a neighborhood while others will make way for new homes,” Ms. Adams said.

        “With the help of the city, through the redevelopment plan, we can work through the west end and greatly improve the housing stock.”

        Former Newport City Manager Jim Parsons, now Boone County administrator and a member of the Newport Housing Development Corp. board of directors, also emphasized the importance of home ownership.

        “We could have gone into this area on Ann Street using federal tax-credit money and built rental property some time ago,” he said. “We waited until we had all the pieces in place to do single-family houses.”

        The Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati will offer down- payment help to qualified buyers, as well as money from other down-payment assistance programs.

        For more information on the Ann Street Revitalization project, call Stephanie Stiene or Chris Lecky at Brighton Center, (859) 491-8303.

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