Curiosity is building over the only public housing agency in Blount County’s plans to develop more than 100 new apartments. Maryville Housing Authority residents got the chance to ask the agency’s leaders about the new apartments during a Tuesday, July 2, meeting.
From free-standing, single-family homes to housing that meets legal guidelines for affordability, new residential developments have sparked conversation throughout Blount County. But while conversations in the wider community often show tension and a split between proponents of developments and their critics, MHA residents Tuesday appeared largely positive about the prospects of newer housing.
Questions like ‘Are we eligible to live in the new apartments’ (yes) and ‘Will the apartments be accessible?’ (they will) were chief among MHA residents’ concerns.
New properties
The housing authority currently maintains five properties, mostly in or near downtown Maryville. Its staff are planning properties six and seven now.
Up to 104 apartments could go up on property behind the authority’s main offices on Atlantic Avenue. That development — which would cost tens of millions to build — would involve the sale of tax credits and a partnership with a developer. The tax credits are critical to the plan’s financing, said MHA Executive Director Julie Sharpe, and could bring in a large portion of the money needed for the project. And dozens of apartments in the development would be reserved for holders of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. Sharpe and other authority staff have previously mentioned that finding landlords willing to rent to the holders of housing vouchers has been a struggle in recent years.
The apartments will be designed with an open concept in mind. A smaller property — located on McNabb, by the county health department — would also give the housing authority 11 new apartments.
Questions
It’s a time of change for the housing authority, Sharpe has noted. For residents, too, the developments could trigger changes. Aiming to understand those shifts, residents Tuesday posed questions including: will renters in the new buildings need to pay for utilities?
That’s likely, past a certain amount of usage, Sharpe said. Residents of MHA’s Broadway Towers and Maryville Towers — designated for elderly or disabled people — do not pay for utilities.
Resident Sandy Crabtree asked about occupancy, among other things: If a couple needed to sleep apart to accommodate medical equipment, for example, could they qualify for a two-bedroom apartment?
They might, Sharpe said. Staff will consider individual circumstances, she said.
A resident asked: will the one-bedroom apartments be clustered together?
No, Sharpe said. Most one-bedroom apartments will be located on ground floors. Elevators are not part of current design plans, she noted.
Residents who missed the Tuesday meeting will have other opportunities to ask questions of MHA staff, Sharpe said then.
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