Willow Heights development scenarios presented to Fayetteville Housing Authority board

File Photo/NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANDY SHUPE The Willow Heights public housing complex was built into the hillside west of the Confederate Cemetery in Fayetteville and features terraces and steep stairs.
File Photo/NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANDY SHUPE The Willow Heights public housing complex was built into the hillside west of the Confederate Cemetery in Fayetteville and features terraces and steep stairs.

FAYETTEVILLE -- New design concepts for a public housing complex near downtown would create a livable landscape for residents but wouldn't address interior needs of the structures, according to a presentation the Housing Authority board saw Thursday.

Stephen Luoni with the University of Arkansas Community Design Center showed the board a series of planning layouts for Willow Heights at 10 S. Willow Ave. The Housing Authority owns the property but is under contract to sell it for private development.

General issues and challenges

Willow Heights

• Narrow right of way makes on-street parking unfeasible.

• Hillside water runoff requires bioswales.

• Limited site access for fire trucks on the south end inhibits development potential.

Source: UA Community Design Center

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A plan to move residents to another Housing Authority-operated property at Morgan Manor, 324 E. 12th Place, is still on the table but the board has begun exploring options. The Community Design Center's work, coming at no cost to the Housing Authority, was made possible through a $25,000 grant with the Endeavor Foundation out of Springdale. The center looked at building frontages on existing structures, landscape architecture and the addition of new, market-rate units.

Luoni presented a timetable to the board during its January meeting. Marty Matlock, a professor of ecological engineering, made a presentation on drainage and flooding issues at the site during the board's meeting last month. On Thursday, Luoni presented seven development scenarios which included placement of trees, various drainage measures, replacement of some buildings and associated parking. He then narrowed the selection to a recommended three best scenarios.

For example, one of the least involving scenarios includes planting trees and directing storm water between units on the southernmost end of the property. More aggressive plans would have some buildings torn down and replaced or new concrete installed. Renovations in most cases would include new roofs that extend past the buildings with porches and patios outside.

M.D. Atwell with the Housing Authority's maintenance crew estimated half the sewer pipes running through the complex are splitting or corroded. Executive Director Deniece Smiley showed the board pictures of lines already burst.

Smiley said the dollar amount to build out any of the exterior design schemes concerned her because of the authority's limited financial abilities.

"This all looks great. I think everybody would love the fact they have a covered porch or a new roof or that type of thing," she said. "But we want to make sure they've got decent housing -- interior, not just outside."

The board has to turn in an agency plan for capital projects later this year, as required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Commissioner Melissa Terry said the proposals Luoni presented will help inform the board's decisions on what to prioritize.

"We're not alone in having these kinds of questions as a lot of facilities are aging at the same rate across the country," she said.

Luoni said the next step will be to tackle architectural designs for building frontages and to solicit a contractor to come up with an estimated cost on implementation. It would be up to the board to explore financial options for any construction.

NW News on 03/23/2018

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