The Housing Authority of the City of Orlando, Florida (OHA) was awarded an $18, 084, 255 2002 HOPE VI Revitalization Grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop a mixed-income community on the site where the Carver Court public housing complex used to sit.  The site contains almost eighteen (18) acres and is located at the corner of Westmoreland Drive and Gore Street , directly west of downtown Orlando. The success of the HOPE VI development depends upon the support and  commitments from other entities such as the City of Orlando, the Orange County Housing Finance Agency, the YMCA, Metropolitan Orlando Urban League and many other local service providers. The HOPE VI funds are combined with other public funds including resources from the City of Orlando and private money to revitalize the community.  This redevelopment project will leverage at least $60 million. 

    The HOPE VI funds provide a variety of services through the Community and Supportive Services programs (CSS) to the former Carver Court residents and other eligible program participants.   They will have a preference to return to the site as homeowners if they have completed their action plans or as renters if they do not have sufficient income to become homeowners.

Background
   The former Carver Court public housing site was one of the oldest Orlando Housing Authority sites.  Built in 1945 in the Parramore Heritage District, an historically African-American community, its two hundred twelve (212) units were built on a former landfill.   After almost sixty years (60) of the ground settling, some of the buildings had serious structural problems.  The remaining one hundred and forty-eight (148) families who lived on-site were relocated in 2001. The buildings were demolished in 2002.

The Revitalization Plan
   Previous Carver Court residents and stakeholders in the surrounding area voted to change the name of the site to Carver Park.  Carver Court residents participated in planning the new community.  They said they wanted the site to have a lake.  The new Carver Park Development features a three (3) acre lake serving the dual purpose of being a water feature and a retention area.  Along with new roads and infrastructure, two hundred and three (203) housing units will be a mixed-income community of both home-ownership and rental units.  The housing units include a sixty-four (64) unit multifamily elderly-only  public housing complex, attached townhouses with garages, single family detached homes, duplexes, quadplexes and rowhouses.  The site will be an active, vital community built with the traditional city design concepts of New Urbanism.

    A  Neighborhood Network Center (NNC) will be built on the corner of Woods Avenue and Conley Street.  The NNC will  house a computer lab, a tutoring/study room  and multi-purpose activity rooms.   This center will offer educational, cultural and social programs for the new residents on the Carver Park site and other OHA  residents in addition to the general public.  The site will be built-out by the end of 2010.