COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) -- Work has begun on a high-profile piece of Columbus real estate that was home to a public housing complex until late last year.
The Chase Homes site along the Second Avenue corridor is being prepared for a new mixed-income development.
The projected $25 million investment is being made to bring more than 100 units back in hopes that it spurs more development in what is known as the Mill District.
Dirt has been moved and a pad is being prepared between Second Avenue and the Chattahoochee River near 20th Street.
The old Chase Homes was demolished in late 2020. The new Chase Homes is under construction.
Lisa Walters, CEO Housing Authority of Columbus, says that four buildings will be constructed in the first phase.
“We have torn down 108 units," Walters said. "We are going to replace it with 102 units of mixed-finance. We’ll have access to the riverwalk. And also, there will be a clinic where Mercy Med to work out of for at least a five-year period.”
The Mill District runs along both sides of Second Avenue from downtown to Bibb City and North Highland.
And there is construction from top to bottom. A new Neighborworks Columbus single-family housing development is underway in North Highland. The Mercer Medical School is being built just north of downtown.
It is an opportunity to help fundamentally change the area, says Lauren Chambers, the CEO of the newly formed Mill District Inc. She has been on the job for about two weeks.
“The new development will be a mixed-income where there will be an opportunity for stabilization for everyone. We want this to be a safe space for everyone," Chambers said. "With the mixed-income, we are going to have an opportunity to address the housing, wellness and just make to a safe place for every resident.”
The bulk of the units – 90 or more – will be for low to moderate-income. And with a new complex, will come a new name.
“We think we are going to call the new Chase Homes The Banks at Mill Village," Walter said.
In the coming months, the buildings on this site begin to take shape. The projected finish is late 2022.
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