Summary Information

 

MetroGardens Information System
Summary Information

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Introduction

[ or go to Objectives ]

Metropolitan Gardens is located in the northeast downtown core of Birmingham, a few blocks from City Hall. Birmingham has benefited from a focused civic effort to reoccupy its downtown core for office, retail and residential loft use, and the downtown core is now vibrant. HABD has been awarded approximately $35 million in 1999 HOPE VI funds to revitalize the Metropolitan Gardens Community. In addition, HABD has pledged approximately $8 million in Capital Program Funds to assist in the redevelopment of Metropolitan Gardens, which includes development of replacement housing both on- and off-site. 

HABD and the residents of Metropolitan Gardens, in partnership with the City of Birmingham and neighborhood stakeholders such as the Birmingham Public Schools, have taken advantage of the HOPE VI process to develop a Metropolitan Gardens Revitalization Plan ("Revitalization Plan"). The Revitalization Plan is set forth in HABD's HOPE VI Application and in the Revised Master Plan. The Plan leverages the locational assets of the site, adjacent historic structures, the financial opportunities of HOPE VI, and the human resources of the Metropolitan Gardens residents to create an exciting and livable neighborhood. 

To learn more about the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's HOPE VI program, please follow this link to their website that contains detailed program information and content.

HABD's Goals for the Revitalization of Metropolitan Gardens

HABD's vision for the Metropolitan Gardens Community is to create a vibrant, attractive, mixed-use, mixed-income community, where people of all economic strata, races, and cultures will live, learn, work, play, and raise their families in close proximity to abundant employment, retail and cultural opportunities. Until now, the Metropolitan Gardens Community has languished in the shadow of downtown Birmingham. However, with the resurgence of downtown Birmingham and the urgent need to address urban sprawl in metro-Birmingham, this community is poised to become an excellent in-town neighborhood.

Through the HOPE VI planning process, HABD together with its residents and community stakeholders established the following guiding principles for the physical plan:

Design a neighborhood in which residents choose to live, with:

• A mix of housing types and sizes
• A mix of people with a wide range of incomes, ages, races, ethnicities, and abilities, including the disabled.

Establish connections and physical linkages between the former Metropolitan Gardens site, downtown, and the surrounding neighborhood.

Utilize the process and locational advantages to:

• Provide or stimulate commercial and retail amenities for the community;æ
• Generate additional funding through office development or land disposition; and
• Create economic opportunities for the residents.

Establish a working partnership with Birmingham Public Schools to assure that the children of the New Community have superior schools.

• Encourage service provider partners to make this an educational community of excellence.
• Reflect the highest architectural and urban design standards of the best Birmingham neighborhoods, recognizing applicable cost limitations.

Additionally, the revitalization of Metropolitan Gardens should assure that HABD goals are met:

• Assuring that the process of replacing public housing units simultaneously enhances the City of Birmingham and improves neighborhoods for all families;
• Creating resident programs and services focused on job placement and training as well as educational and recreational youth activities;
• Leveraging shrinking Federal subsidies; and
• Creating an income stream for HABD.

Project Objectives

It is the intention of the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD) to enter into a Revitalization Agreement with a qualified developer ("Developer") for the creation of a master-planned, mixed-use, mixed-income, and mixed-finance community immediately adjacent to downtown Birmingham, on the site of the current Metropolitan Gardens public housing development. The selected Developer will clear the site and develop a new, revitalized community ("New Community" or "Metropolitan Gardens Revitalization") on the site that will contain approximately 446 residential units. The current Master Plan includes approximately 366 townhouse and direct-entry apartments for families and 80 rental apartments for the elderly in a "senior village" including cottages and an elevator building. Additionally, the Master Plan calls for a new high-rise office/commercial building to be developed on one corner of the site and ground-level retail along one border. Extensive new infrastructure must also be created to develop a neighborhood street pattern for the New Community and to strengthen linkages with the adjacent downtown core.

At least 263 of the rental apartments developed under the Metropolitan Gardens Revitalization program will be reserved for public housing eligible families (under 80% of area median income) and will be supported, if required, by payments of operating subsidy from the HABD (these units may be referred to as "PHA-Assisted Units"). Any other apartments may be offered at market rents.æ

HABD anticipates working with its selected Developer to refine, alter or expand the existing plan so as to best accomplish the revitalization of Metropolitan Gardens consistent with program objectives and requirements, and within schedule and financing constraints.

HABD is prepared to provide approximately $27 million in public housing funds (i.e., 1999 HOPE VI Funds and other HABD Capital Funds) for the revitalization, and has secured a commitment of City of Birmingham funds for infrastructure and site work. The Developer will be responsible for assembling other necessary financing, which HABD expects will include substantial equity raised through syndication of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC).

The selected Developer will be expected to accomplish demolition, remediation and site improvement activities while completing and implementing master planning in concert with HABD, its Program Management Team, and community stakeholders including the Metropolitan Gardens residents. The selected Developer and its Development Team will be responsible for designing, financing, constructing, owning, leasing, managing and otherwise implementing and operating the New Community. Interested Developers should have demonstrated experience in developing and managing mixed-use, mixed-income, mixed-finance, service-enriched communities and significant experience in urban neighborhood revitalization.

The Metropolitan Gardens HOPE VI Program also includes an off-site rental replacement housing component as well as a homeownership component. Those components are not addressed by this procurement; however, HABD will seek partners for those components in the near future.  

 

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