MDHA Public Meeting To Discuss Envision Cayce Master Plan

MDHA has announced the final public meeting to discuss the Envision Cayce Master Plan.

Where: Martha O’Bryan Center (711 South 7th St, Nashville, TN 37206)

When: 5:30pm on Tuesday, July 1^st

Although this public presentation of the master plan for Cayce Place is months later than originally expected, there have been important developments in the interim.

1) Jim Harbison was named Executive Director late last year. Harbison was most recently Director for Nashville Multifamily Program Center for HUD. He has a deep commitment to revitalizing our oldest family housing communities.
2) MDHA purchased CWA Plaza. A successful revitalization of Cayce Place could not be implemented without incorporating CWA Plaza so this was an important step.
3) Early indications that HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration Program (RAD) will be expanded in the September 2015 congressional budget, which would allow MDHA to move forward with the Envision Cayce plan.

Please come to the July 1^st meeting at the Martha O’Bryan Center to show support and to view the plan. The Envision Cayce plan is the culmination of over a year of engaging residents, stakeholders and the surrounding community.

Here are some highlights:

1) One for one replacement of the existing subsidized housing units
2) Existing residents get first priority to return
3) 1,500 additional affordable housing units
4) Mixed use to include retail
5) Better access to public transportation

The scope of the plan is far beyond anything MDHA has done in the past. Envision Cayce is not a project that simply restores or rehabilitates public housing. It incorporates many of the key components of successful revitalization efforts around the country. It will reshape East Nashville and redefine Nashville as a progressive city dedicated to breaking the cycle of multi-generational poverty. It provides a real opportunity to address the challenges of concentrated poverty, to lift families up and to ensure the 1,200 children at Cayce Place can realize their full potential.

There remains work to be done to ensure that world-class education is an embedded component of this plan as well as job opportunities for residents during demolition and construction.

For more information, visit our website: www.cayceplace.org or follow us on twitter @cayceplace. You may also submit comments directly to the Envision Cayce team by visiting http://www.nashville-mdha.org/cayce.php.