• Written by Quincy Acklen

Background on CHA Redevelopment in Dilworth

In August of 2008 the Charlotte Housing Authority hired the internationally recognized Urban Land Institute (ULI) to create a master plan for their 17-acre site. ULI invited members of the DCDA and Strawn residents to several meetings to solicit their input on how best to redesign their site.

With all this information, and with their own professional knowledge, ULI prepared a report that outlined their recommendations for how to best utilize this strategic piece of property owned by CHA.

DCDA and the neighborhood residents were very pleased with just about everything in the ULI report. It integrated the property into Dilworth. It redeveloped the entire site in a way that was reasonable and compatible with Dilworth's historic district and single-family homes. It incorporated a variety of mixed-income residential options. It carefully considered the current and future status of the residents of Strawn and the surrounding units. It rocked!

Unfortunately, CHA ignored the ULI plan and proceeded to hire its own advisor, architect David Furman. The site plan that they now have on the drawing board is in some areas triple the size of what the ULI plan suggested.

The site plan we have before us is not really a site plan, but simply a map of the 17 acres, divided up into parcels, with development rights attached to each parcel. The development rights allow certain heights and therefore densities. There are no developers and really no projects for any of it. It is just a bunch of development rights.

And, just for the record, here are some excerpts from the ULI report. Their report is titled:

Transforming a Project into a Neighborhood

"The panel recommends developing the Strawn site into an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable mixed-income community. All development must address and meet the needs of the current residents, the adjacent community, and the long-term goals of the CHA."

"The CHA must begin to see the Strawn site as a neighborhood, not as a project."

"With the site's favorable conditions, redeveloping with a variety of unit styles, ownership types, and income levels will be a valuable experiment that could provide a model for other places in the city and around the country for successful mixed-income neighborhoods."

"The panel (ULI) felt that the greater goal of providing the city's less fortunate citizens with good housing was the primary purpose of CHA."