Arlington Neighborhood Celebrates Another Rebirth
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Seventy-five years ago, a major step toward progressive urban reform was launched in this city as then-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt dedicated Westlake Terrace, one of the first public housing projects in the country.
Yesterday, that inspiration was alive and well in that same neighborhood, as dignitaries gathered to usher in a new era that stands to benefit generations to come.
"It's been a long process," reflected Carmelita Douglas, executive director of the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority, shortly after she and others heralded the completion of The Village at Arlington. "We're totally full."
The Village at Arlington is the final phase of an effort that began in 1999 to replace the aging Westlake Terrace with a new townhouse-style development.
For many, the new housing complex represents a lasting legacy for a neighborhood that in many ways is a microcosm of the hopes, challenges and disappointments of urban America.
During 1930's, the area was renown for its blight and decrepit housing. Paintings and photographs from the era show ramshackle houses and destitute residents.
Revitalizing this neighborhood and the establishment of low-rent housing for those in need became a priority of the city, deeming it a social and economic necessity, Douglas told guests Friday.
In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved $16.8 million in federal loans earmarked for low-cost housing programs in five cities: New Orleans; Austin, Texas; Syracuse, N.Y.; Charleston, S.C.; and Youngstown. Youngstown's share was $3.3 million.
In 1940, the first of 618 new public housing units was rented, Douglas said.
But during the 1970s, Westlake's infrastructure began to decay, and the housing development earned the reputation as a haven for criminals and drugs.
"It began to overshadow the good people who live here," emphasized Jay Williams, former Youngstown mayor and today the executive director of the Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Williams is also President Obama's nominee for heading the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration. He is awaiting confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
As a former mayor and community development director of Youngstown, Williams helped the project along in its early stages and said it's "extremely gratifying" to return and see the project come to fruition.
"It's a transformational project," Williams said. "Anyone who's been around Youngstown long enough knows how remarkable this is."
The first phase of Westlake's demolition was funded through a federal Hope 6 grant until 2008. That left another 218 units on the lower end along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and internal roadways.
A public-private partnership between the city, the federal government, U.S. Bank Corp., NRP Group LLC and the state of Ohio helped secure tax credits and funding for Phase II. Total cost for the project stood at $120 million.
The new neighborhood consists of a community center, 120 one, two and three-bedroom townhouses, freshly paved streets and poured curbs, and a playground.
"The history of Westlake Terrace -- initially positive and then the reputation that began to overshadow the good people who lived here -- now can be redeemed," Williams said.
Alice Freeman, a resident here since 1964, said when she moved in, Westlake was "a beautiful place. It was a mixed neighborhood filled with working people."
She stuck it out during the 1970s and 1980s, as the complex fell into neglect and Westlake became a stigma of drugs, poverty and crime.
"I never lost hope," Freeman said.
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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