MDHA ENVISION CAYCE PLAN CHANGING THE TRAJECTORY OF NASHVILLE FAMILIES AND CHILDREN

In keeping with Nashville's promise to make a difference in the lives of those they serve Mayor Megan Barry and HUD SE Regional Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett earlier this month joined local elected and community leaders in the groundbreaking ceremony for Envision Cayce's second residential construction and first mixed income development at Kirkpatrick Park. Ninety-four townhome-like units will be built on the site.

"We have to do everything we can to fund, build, preserve and retain housing options," said Mayor Barry. "And we need to support options that encourage people of different income levels to live in the same place."

"MDHA's Envision Cayce plan is in line with HUD's vision," said HUD SE Regional Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett. "I've seen a mixed income community change the trajectory of people, especially children. This development is a step in the right direction."

The units will house mixed income families consisting of subsidized, workforce and market rate residents and have market-rate amenities.

"Our goal is to create more than housing. It's to create a community and that starts with our current residents," said MDHA (Metro Development and Housing Agency) Executive Director Jim Harbison. "Thank you for your unwavering support of this project."

The project was made possible also through an innovative land swap with the Metro parks for nine acres at Kirkpatrick Park allowing MDHA to build on vacant land and relocate residents from the current Cayce units to the new Envision Cayce. Once completed Envision Cayce, MDHA intends to return 11 acres of green space to Metro parks. The green space in Envision Cayce will improve the quality of life for residents while helping to preserve green space and make affordable housing available.

The new construction is part of MDHA's plan to rebuild Cayce Place, Nashville's largest public housing property, which is currently home to nearly 800 families. The Envision Cayce Master Plan calls for more than 2,000 units and ensures a one-for-one replacement of the subsidized units while adding new affordable, workforce and market-rate units.

MDHA broke ground on the first new residential construction of Envision Cayce in 2015. Current Cayce residents began moving into the 70 one-bedroom development on Summer Place in August. MDHA plans to break ground on the third residential construction of Envision Cayce in early 2018. The project, which will be built along South Sixth St., consists of three buildings with a total of 96 mixed-income units.

(Information provided from MDHA Press release)

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