On October 17, Hartford Field Office Director Julie Fagan joined Congressman John Larson and Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez at a groundbreaking ceremony for Phase I of the Dutch Point Development in Hartford.

Local leaders join in groundbreaking.

This is a five-year, $60 million HOPE VI revitalization project of the former Dutch Point Colony that consisted of 186 original public housing units. The present effort is the first in a three-phase, 198-unit comprehensive plan to create an economic renaissance of the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood. Phase I consists of 73 housing units of which 43 units will be public housing units and 30 will be Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Of the 43 public housing units, 27 will be new construction with 16 units rehabilitated off-site.

When completed, the project will be a mixed income development that will include 50 homeownership units and 148 rental units. The site will become a pedestrian-scaled, traditional urban neighborhood, with three-story and four-story buildings fronting onto two new streets.

Artist rendition of new rental units.

This is a collaborative effort of the Hartford Housing Authority, the Community Builders, Inc. and the Coalition to Strengthen the Sheldon/Charter Oak Neighborhood.

The project is funded by a $20 million HOPE VI grant from HUD awarded in 2002. Other HUD funding sources include $1 million in CDBG funds, $3 million in HOME and $600,000 in UDAG repayment funds from the City of Hartford, as well as $1million in HOME funds from the state of Connecticut. Other financial partners include the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, the Connecticut Light & Power Company, Related Capital Company of New York and Bank of America.