Key Takeaways:
- Lucas Village will be demolished and rebuilt pending Section 18 application approval from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Approval can take anywhere from 3 months to 2 years.
- Residents will be given vouchers to find alternative housing but will have the “first right to come back” once the development is rebuilt and reopened.
The Housing Authority of the City of Frederick (HACF) applied for the Section 18 of the Housing Act of 1937 redevelopment of Lucas Village. Part of the application process includes notifying residents.
In August, Lucas Village residents were invited to an impromptu meeting in the neighborhood community center held by the Housing Authority to discuss their future housing.
Lucas Village, formerly and affectionately known as Sagners, is a public housing community. It is located four blocks from downtown Frederick and sits across from Frederick Fairgrounds. In the public housing structure, residents can choose to pay formula rent that is 30% their household income or flat rent, a set price.
“We would raze and rebuild Lucas Village.” – Angie Lollar
Section 18, also referred to as Disposition, requires housing authority agencies create a transitional plan for current tenants. All Lucas Village residents will receive a housing choice voucher where they can choose to continue living in current public housing or use the voucher for private rentals anywhere in the country (i.e. landlord, gated communities, etc.). There are 88 households within the rental units. Homeowners in the development will not be affected.
For some, the opportunity is exciting and new. For others, they are fearful of uncharted territory.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), defines Section 18 of 1937 as an act that governs Public Housing Agency (PHA) activities to demolish or dispose of part or all of a public housing project.
[READ: Aldermen approve name change for Sagner roads]
“We have this old, barrack style housing and we have an opportunity to turn it into modern, safe housing…we want better housing, HUD is providing different programs for Housing Authorities to improve public housing,” says Angie Lollar, Director of Economic Development at Housing Authority of the City of Frederick (HACF).
In previous years, HACF has successfully executed Disposition. The same conditions applied to the Catoctin View, a Frederick senior living public property in 2008. The approval took three years, and an additional year for the housing agency to relocate 100 senior residents and reopen its doors to a mix of new and returning residents.
The Housing Authority is hopeful the application will be approved in as soon as three months, however; the project is expected to take three to five years. Upon approval, residents will have three to six months to find alternative housing. The Housing Authority of Frederick reassures its promise to its Lucas Village residents of smooth and responsible transitions onto better housing for all.
Photo Credit: FNP
