English Woods, with downtown in the distance. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        Housing authority officials have planned for nearly a year to bulldoze 700 low-income apartments in English Woods and replace them with about half as many homes with sweeping downtown views.

        It's the tear-down-and-rebuild formula of urban renewal that is reshaping the West End, and Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority executive Donald Troendle promises similar results in the distressed English Woods neighborhood near Interstate 75.

        But the housing authority's plan has hit a snag. The primary source of federal funding tapped to revitalize the West End won't be available, so CMHA is looking to money-strapped City Hall for $14.9 million to make the development work.

        “The city has clearly delineated that it is very much interested in creating home ownership,” said Mr. Troendle, adding the English Woods project would replace 700 apartments with 338 owner-occupied homes, one-quarter of which would be set aside for low-income buyers.

        But whether the city will commit to such a large project is questionable.

        With the city facing a $35 million budget shortfall, extra money in the city's 2003 budget may be tough to find. City Manager Valerie Lemmie asked all city departments to submit budgets with cuts of 5 to 20 percent, so funding such a large project could delay or kill other housing developments in 2003.

        “It is a significant chunk of money,” said Peg Moertl, Cincinnati's director of community development. “We like the idea of taking advantage of significant federal dollars, and we are interested in deconcentrating poverty. There are some real positives.”

        Not only does the English Woods project face a financial challenge, it could likely encounter resistance from west siders who fear displaced public housing tenants will use Section 8 vouchers to rent apartments and/or homes in their neighborhood.

        Ms. Moertl's staff soon expects to finish a study of the project and make a recommendation on the project to Ms. Lemmie.

        In all, the project would eliminate 700 apartments built in 1942 while keeping two more-modern additions - 118 units built four decades ago and the 138-unit Marquette Manor high-rise for elderly and disabled people.

        Prime lots with downtown views would be reserved for 338 new homes built by a private developer hired by CMHA. (The city rejected the housing authority's initial offer of giving the cleared site to the city to develop.) Another 20 homes in the surrounding neighborhood would be purchased and renovated for home ownership.

        The city funds would be used as follows:

        • $7.8 million for new streets, sidewalks, utilities and other infrastructure costs.

        • $3 million for mortgage assistance for low-income home buyers.

        • $2.6 million to acquire 47 homes in neighborhoods without significant amounts of existing low-income housing.

        • $1.5 million to remove neighborhood blight.

        The housing authority originally hoped to tap $20 million in Hope VI revitalization grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development - the same type of federal grant that provided the bulk of public funding for the West End development. But the requirements of those grants have become too strict for the English Woods project to qualify. Instead, the housing authority will seek $6 million in demolition grants to bulldoze the outdated apartment buildings.

        The private developer would be expected to pay for the costs of building and selling the homes.

        Mr. Troendle trumpets the development as an ideal opportunity for the city to attract a blend of middle-income and low-income families at a prime site. More homes are sorely needed in a city with a 38 percent home ownership rate, he said.

        It would also replace an outdated complex that already is having trouble attracting tenants. One out of every four apartments targeted for demolition are vacant, he said.

        Yet some neighborhood activists fear their communities will be burdened by low-income newcomers. Just two weeks ago, about 200 residents from Price Hill and Westwood crowded City Hall to complain about neglectful city leadership, citing an increase in Section 8 vouchers, litter and crime.

        Mary Kuhl, co-founder of the grassroots community group Westwood Concern, fears parts of Westwood would be overburdened with low-income residents if English Woods is demolished.

        “Once again, the west side has become the city's dumping ground,” Ms. Kuhl said.

        She believes the increase in Section 8 vouchers, petty crime and litter go hand in hand.

        Not all tenants would be given Section 8 vouchers to relocate, Mr. Troendle said. Some would move to a renovated, 560-unit complex in Millvale. And tenants with a good history could qualify for single-family homes in other neighborhoods.

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