Knox County, TN– The Knox County Commission has given the green light to $1 million in federal funding for DGA Residential, part of the Dominion Group. Four units will be built with the help of this funding. The construction is set to include 84 budget-friendly apartments.
The developers announced that the project is aimed at families earning up to 60% of the area’s median income, which is approximately $71,000 based on census data.
Craig Cobb, vice president of affordable housing for Dominion, stated that the company aims to duplicate the success achieved at one of their other properties. Last year, Lakeview at Westland opened its doors. Cobb reported that individuals who have ended their lease this year experienced an average income boost of 35%. One family managed to buy a market-rate condo and has since relocated.
“It’s definitely shown upward mobility in a really short period of time for the residents there,” he said.
The property has been fully leased since December, with more than 100 families waiting for 72 units.
“There’s a huge demand, a huge need for it. We think getting projects out in the western part of the county and spreading that out has had really good results for the residents. So we’re excited to do the same thing at Hardin Valley,” Cobb said.
Although that initiative succeeded, a comparable project was halted due to protests. Dominion aimed to create 56 affordable townhome units in the Choto region. Before a planning commission meeting, community members gathered to protest, expressing their concerns about being excluded from the planning process.
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Angela Russell, currently a Knox County Commissioner, also expressed opposition. She stated that she thoroughly investigated the project and concluded it wouldn’t benefit the community.
“It was a very expensive piece of property. The property backed up to Northshore which has over 20,000 cars a day. If you are going to do a low-income housing development where children are supposed to live, that doesn’t seem like you’re doing it in the best interest of the children. It seems more like you’re doing it so that you can purchase an expensive piece of property that then reverts back to you in 20 years. And it’s the same thing at Hardin Valley,” Russell said.
Russell expressed her worries about the developer having the authority to select the residents for the units. She expressed her worries regarding the location. Russell noted that the other property’s success can’t be matched by Hardin Valley due to the convenient access to Pellissippi Parkway.
“The county has no say. So, the developer puts out the applications and chooses who gets to live there. I just don’t think that someone should receive government funding and then be able to make the decision, ‘Oh, you’re a winner, you’re a loser.’ I think we need to be trying to help as many people as we possibly can,” she said.
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Cobb mentioned that the application process is detailed and focuses on assisting those in greatest need. He mentioned that two-bedroom units would cost between $950 and $1,150 a month, while others are around $1,900 per month.
Cobb mentioned that by the end of next year, they expect to be either under construction or ready to start on 604 units in the county.
