A move in the right direction

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March 20, 2010

Anonymous The Commercial-News Sat Mar 20, 2010, 12:21 PM CDT

Danville officials want to see the traditional, large public housing complexes — such as the Fair Oaks site on the city’s far east side — replaced. Considering other communities’ experience with similar plans, it’s an idea worth pursuing.

Fair Oaks, constructed in the 1950s, has 326 townhouse-style apartments with two to five bedrooms.

In its place, city officials want to see a smaller number of mixed-income apartments, with subsidized tenants living alongside those who pay rent.

Several questions remain to be resolved, such as where the new housing will be constructed and exactly how it will be funded.

Mayor Scott Eisenhauer wants to use the Fair Oaks site for industrial development. Danville Housing Authority representatives have proposed using sites in the center city — where vacant lots from demolished buildings regularly dot the landscape — but Eisenhauer isn’t sure the infrastructure could handle the demands of a large

complex.

Officials in Springfield faced the same questions 10 years ago. The John Hay Homes was a 30-plus acre housing complex rife with drugs and crime. Springfield officials decided it was time for a change.

In 1999, the John Hay Homes were demolished. A combination of public and private funding paid to replace the site with 150 rental units and 44 lease-to-own houses. The Springfield Housing Authority subsidized 50 of the rental apartments.

Coupled with a zero-tolerance policy on crime and other changes in policy, the residents of the now Madison Park Place have seen a marked reduction in problems and increased pride in people keeping their property looking good.

Danville still has issues to resolve — such as what happens to Fair Oaks’ residents once the complex is knocked down and replaced with fewer apartments. But the potential for real change within the community makes the proposal one worth pursuing.

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