CLICK FOR A LARGER VIEW of the HOPE VI Riverview Apartments Renovation--the shaded area in the middle of the picture (the street at the right of the shaded renovated area is Lincoln Street, the street in the middle is Booker Street, the street across the top is Carver Street, and the street on the left corner of the shaded area is Douglass Street. The building at the left is Douglass School).
Cornerstone Housing, the developer-partner for the HOPE VI (Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere) project and the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority have awarded the architectural contract for the revitalization of the Riverview public housing development to a joint venture, CainRashWest Architects of Kingsport and Martella Associates of St. Michaels, Md.
“The announcement of the architects for the HOPE VI project puts our community another step closer to the fulfillment of the vision of revitalization for the Riverview community,” Mayor Dennis Phillips said in a news release. “Kingsport will see this project working for our whole community by providing new housing, educational opportunities and jobs for our citizens.”
Luther Cain will serve as principal in charge of the HOPE VI revitalization. Dineen West and Jennifer Martella will share the role of lead architect. Martella will also serve as project manager. Martella and West will conduct site meetings and community input sessions within the next few weeks. Demolition of the existing housing on Sherwood and Hiwassee streets is scheduled to begin this fall, with the construction to follow by end of the year. The demolition of public housing facilities in Riverview is scheduled for late spring 2008. The construction of new housing on this site is anticipated to begin in 2009. The Riverview revitalization project is a collaborative effort between Cornerstone and the KHRA that won an $11.9 million HOPE VI federal grant in 2006. Kingsport was one of only four cities nationwide to win the grant last year.
