Moving forward, Charter Oak Communities has broken ground on Progress Drive in Stamford.?Charter Oak, the Housing Authority of the City of Stamford, referred to the new residential community”™s development as a milestone in the continuing evolution of publicly assisted housing in Stamford.
According to Vincent Tufo, executive director of Charter Oak Communities, the project, located in a West-end neighborhood and replacing the development called Vidal Court, has taken years of planning, creative land acquisition and long-term vision.
“The revitalization of Vidal Court will create a self-sustaining housing resource for working families in Stamford,” said Tufo. “It utilizes a financing model that relies on mixed-income marketing and the leveraging of public funds with significant private investment capital. Most important, it reflects another significant step in helping us realize the chamber of commerce mission of providing desirable, affordable housing opportunities for Stamford residents, and in fostering residents’ personal and economic self reliance.”
The construction will create 95 mixed-income residences. Tufo said the new community has been designed to resemble a New England village, with the homes arranged around a town square.
Tufo said Vidal Court, built in 1955, had become physically obsolete and replacement plans were initiated in 2003. The then-Stamford Housing Authority joined the Vidal Court Resident Association in planning the $96 million revitalization.
“Demolition of existing buildings will occur in phases as residents are relocated into their new homes,” said Tufo.
He said the new development will ultimately comprise approximately 360 mixed-income housing units located in several nearby sites already acquired or in the process of being acquired.
