MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC-TV) - The city's plan to redevelop a housing area more than 70 years old is being met with resistance.
A meeting got started Thursday to discuss a counter proposal.
Memphis city leaders said they want to transform all public housing as we know it, including the seven decades old Foote Homes near downtown.
The people skeptical about redevelopment plans claim a majority of residents surveyed do not approve.
Like in other public housing areas that have been redeveloped in recent years, residents of Foote Homes would be given vouchers to move elsewhere and can apply to live in replacement units.
The Vance Avenue Collaborative, as it is known, developed its own plan to which more than 800 residents, business owners, and church leaders contributed ideas.
"It's become clear that two-thirds of the residents don't want to move. They need to be downtown for the variety of services and to relocate to another community would be an incredible additional burden on them," said U of M City Planner Dr. Ken Reardon.
The City of Memphis has already received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to help transform the Foote Homes area.
Including the possible demolition of nearly 500 apartments, nearby Clearborn homes are currently undergoing a similar transition, as have Dixie Homes, Hurt Village, and others.
There will be a hearing next month with the city council on both proposals related to the future of Foote Homes.
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The city's plan to redevelop a housing area more than 70 years old is being met with resistance.
Memphis city leaders said they want to transform all public housing as we know it, including the seven decades old Foote Homes near downtown.
Vance Avenue Collaborative developed its own plan to which more than 800 residents, business owners, and church leaders contributed ideas.
