By Emily Randall
Northeast News
Oct. 13, 2010

The Housing Authority of Kansas City plans to replace the Chouteau Courts housing project at 1220 Independence Ave. and in the process spark development in the surrounding neighborhood.

Chouteau Courts, which sits snuggly between Paseo Boulevard and the interstate on the north side of Independence Avenue, houses 136 families, or about 400 people, and has a yearly turnover rate of 60 percent. Developed in 1955, it is outdated and, said John Monroe, director of Planning and Development for the Housing Authority, it represents the negative image of public housing in Kansas City due to its density and isolation.

“We want to tear down all the buildings,” Monroe said. “They’re just functionally, structurally obsolete…compared to the standards of modern family housing.”

In conjunction with its plans to relocate Chouteau Courts, the Housing Authority is seeking a highly competitive Choice Neighborhoods Initiative grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. First, the Housing Authority will apply for a Choice Neighborhoods planning grant in the amount of $250,000 by the end of the month, which will be awarded in early 2011. This grant would allow the organization and neighborhood stakeholders to spend two years developing a plan for Chouteau Courts and for the surrounding area.

The boundaries of the neighborhood the Housing Authority is focusing on for this initiative are Kessler Park to the north, Chestnut Trafficway to the east, Ninth Street on the south and Interstate 35/29 on the west.

If the project receives a planning grant, the Housing Authority would work toward applying for the actual Choice Neighborhoods grant in year two — which could bring as much as $30 million to the project.

The use of this grant would be 70 percent toward replacing Chouteau Courts, 15 percent for supportive services for its residents and 15 percent for neighborhood projects. The neighborhood projects could be in support of what existing organizations, such as the Don Bosco Centers, Della Lamb, the Kansas City, Mo., School District or others are doing in the area.

The number of these grants awarded annually depends on the available federal funding, but Monroe estimated about three are awarded each year — making it extremely competitive.

“We think we’re a good choice,” Monroe said. “This is a great neighborhood. It has the university [Kansas City University of Medicine and Bioscience] as an anchor, social service agencies… It has the pieces in place for a good planning process.”

About three weeks into the six-week process of developing a proposal for the planning grant, the Housing Authority is looking to demonstrate there is community buy-in. To that end, the group met with Northeast neighborhood stakeholders Wednesday at KCUMB and also plans to continue meeting with neighborhood groups in October. They are also aggressively pursuing support from Sen. Claire McCaskill, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and local leaders.

In addition to the potential millions that could come into the targeted neighborhood if this project successfully obtains a Choice Neighborhoods grant, the Housing Authority sees razing Chouteau Courts — which they will take steps toward regardless of the status of the grant — as a positive move for the area.

“This is a catalyst investment,” said Jim Scott, an architect/urban planner working with the Housing Authority on this project. “It could leverage other development.”

The Paseo and Independence intersection, Scott said, requires continued discussion with or without the grant funding. It is a gateway to Kansas City, and with the new Bond bridge over the Missouri River near completion, more attention will come its way. Scott said there are many possibilities for use of the Chouteau Courts land — with its proximity to and beautiful view of downtown, it could be attractive to the university or private developers.