By Ray King
Pine Bluff’s need for more available housing, particularly for seniors, is the subject of a proposal to add apartments and cottages near the Deerfield and Rosswood Colonies neighborhoods.
Pine Bluff Housing Partners 1, LLC, a Little Rock based developer had been awarded more than $2.8 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits to build two new projects to be called Southeast Estates and Southeast Estates Senior Cottages.
Southeast Estates is proposing 60 apartments while Southeast Estates Senior Cottages will consist of 60 senior cottages at a site listed as 1701 W.73rd Ave.
The proposed area is currently zoned for multi-families but one area resident who asked not to be identified said “Dropping 120 units of apartments and cottages on our doorstep could completely change the character of this area.”
That same resident expressed concern about traffic increases, property values and the strain on city services.
The housing projects were initially planned to be constructed on city-owned property on Ohio Street where the former Southeast School was located but the location had to be changed because the site on Ohio Street is in a flood plain and federal money is not awarded for flood-plain areas,
Low Income Housing Tax Credits are allocated by the Federal Government to each state based on population with Arkansas receiving 12 for 2024. Two of those went to Pine Bluff Housing Partners LLC, and those were the only two awarded in the Fourth Congressional District.
