Image courtesy of Citizens Association of the Southwest Quadrant
The Heritage project is no stranger to controversy. Developers are interested in demolishing the 1970s brick buildings and replacing them with a multi-block 750-unit structure with heights of up to 7 stories.
Designs for the new structure have faced intense scrutiny and disapproval from the Board of Architectural Review over four separate meetings in 2020. It has also faced criticism from a number of Old Town residents.
Some of those residents are now banding together and have formed the Citizens Association of the South West Quadrant (CASWQ) to oppose the project before it goes before the Planning Commission on Feb. 2 and the City Council later in February.
A press release from the organization sent this week stated the group’s purpose: “CASQ supports the need [for] affordable housing, but that need must be met by a design and scale compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Therefore, CASQ has launched an aggressive public information campaign to fight this initiative. Specifically, it will urge the City to require the developer to redesign the project and to significantly scale down its size.”
The press release went on to list the organization’s main concerns about the development:
- Inappropriate size, density and design for Old Town
- Increased parking and traffic
- The impact of relocation on residents during COVID-19 pandemic
- Water and flooding concerns
More information on CASWQ can be found at www.caswq.org.
Image courtesy of Citizens Association of the Southwest Quadrant
Image courtesy of Citizens Association of the Southwest Quadrant
