New Albany Housing Authority breaks ground on Beechwood redevelopment

Sep. 12—NEW ALBANY — The New Albany Housing Authority is celebrating the start of the Beechwood redevelopment project.

Officials gathered Tuesday at the Beechwood neighborhood, near the Charlestown Road intersection, for the groundbreaking of a mixed-income neighborhood that will include affordable and market-rate housing.

The site was formerly home to barracks-style housing built during World War II. In preparation for the new development, the old housing was demolished last year.

The new neighborhood will feature 83 new units, including 53 single-family and duplex homes. It will also include a three-story facility with 30 apartments for seniors.

In addition, the NAHA will reserve 12 lots for future homeowners to be sold at a market rate.

NAHA Executive Director David Duggins said the construction is projected to take 18 to 24 months to complete. He said as the housing authority transitions away from traditional public housing at the Beechwood site, residents can receive tax credits to receive high-quality housing at affordable rates.

This will allow the neighborhood to build a community among a diverse group of people, he said.

"It's to allow different income levels or families to live here, which is important so that it's not an island of poverty," Duggins said. "It's a community of different people working in different places... I might pay $200 a month, and you might pay $1,200 a month."

"Your kids don't know that. They play together. [There are] different education levels. All of those things build community. That's what neighborhoods are."

The News and Tribune previously reported that the Beechwood project was expected to decrease public housing in the neighborhood by about 30 units.

According to Duggins, there are approximately 845 public housing units available in New Albany.

Duggins said that amid the transition, NAHA has "been able to move families and individuals into temporary and permanent housing so that not one person was displaced."

"We're proud of that because it's important that when we disrupt your home we're able to bring you back," Duggins said. "So a lot of our residents have stayed in public housing, a lot of them are all welcome back, and we can't wait for them to see what we've created for them."

The shift away from public housing at the site also means that people who were not previously eligible to live in Beechwood will now be able to live in the neighborhood, Duggins said.

"All public housing is eventually going to be shifting to affordable, and the same person who qualified for public housing still has the opportunity and will qualify to live here also because it's based on income," he said.

"But what this allows us to do is that the folks who need it also who maybe are the working poor will also have the opportunity to get affordable housing. They were the ones kind of left out."

The project costs about $24 million. Funding sources include tax credits, bond issuance and $2.4 million allocated from the City of New Albany, according to Duggins.

NAHA Board Chair Terry Ginkins said the board is "proud to play a role in this next evolution of this site and the impact it will have on the entire neighborhood."

He said the project is a "long time coming." He described his experience as a kid living and playing in the Beechwood neighborhood.

"We had a real happy childhood, and I hope this neighborhood does the same thing," he said.

Kimberly Wize, the Indiana field office director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said the Beechwood project is "the kind of investment that we're looking for."

Jacob Sipe, executive director of the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, spoke to the need for affordable housing such as the planned Beechwood neighborhood.

"Clearly this is a great example," he said. "We have folks who are going to want to continue to live in New Albany, who need some housing that's affordable but also want to be integrated and also be supportive of all the great amenities that the City of New Albany has to offer..."

New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan described the project as a "testament to our commitment to uplifting the lives of our fellow New Albany residents and enhancing the vitality of our city," he said. He said the project will enhance the quality of life for residents.

"With a commitment of $2.4 million in American Rescue funds from the City of New Albany, we are embarking on a journey to reshape our city's landscape," he said. "This investment reflects our values as a community and our belief that every resident should have access to quality housing."

Duggins said that "affordable housing needs to be quality housing that people are proud to live in."

"The amenities that we are building here, when we're finished, are things like that we may all take for granted like storage and modern appliances —that was not being being provided for in the former Beechwood. Beechwood served its purpose. [It] took good care of our residents that lived here in the City of New Albany, but now it's time for a facelift."