GARYVILLE — Public housing units in the Garyville Development on Historic East Street in Garyville will be demolished to make way for new units.

St. John the Baptist Parish Housing Authority Executive director Trina Henderson said she believes the buildings in question are around 50 to 60 years old. The 54 units, which are public housing units, currently house 16 low-income to moderate-income households.

St. John the Baptist Parish Council members voted unanimously Monday to allocate $3.2 million to the Housing Authority to demolish the 54 units and build 73 new ones.

The $3 million plus comes from a Community Block Grant awarded to St. John Parish to address unmet needs associated with Hurricane Isaac recovery.

Parish leaders are in full support of the Housing Authority moving forward in the re-development, according to Parish President Natalie Robottom.

“We have very little affordable housing within the parish,” she said. “That’s why our residents had to leave the parish and stay outside of it after the storm, because there weren’t any homes or rental properties they could afford. This project will not only replace what’s there, but expand what’s there and make it more of a community.”

Henderson said the Housing Authority is partnering with Columbia Residential in re-development.

“We are proposing four phases,” she said. “Garyville happens to be part of phase one. In that project, we are anticipating (phase one) will cost $10 million.”

Henderson added that the $3.2 million would close the gap needed for the project.

“One of the questions was, ‘you’re bringing on more units so you’re increasing the number of families?’” Henderson said. “Well, we are. However, the bedroom sizes are being revamped. Our units now, they’re not livable. The bedroom sizes are not meeting the needs for our families.”

Henderson said they are unsure of how many of the new 73 units will be vacant once completed because Housing Authority staffers do not know how many of the displaced residence will want to return.

“They may chose to stay where they are,” she said.

The 16 households currently living in the 54 units will have the first opportunity to apply for housing in the new units.

“Some of them are going to be public housing units,” Henderson said. “Some are going to be tax credit properties, some may be project-based housing and some may be market-based units.”

Housing Authority staff members are working on an application for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development before beginning the demolition process.

Nothing can be done without the permission of HUD, Henderson said, adding HUD provides subsidy to the Housing Authority on behave of the residents — HUD subsidizes some of the rent.

The housing authority follows the HUD federal guidelines.

Garyville was chosen as phase one because the area sustained flooding following Hurricane Isaac.

“We find that if we put the resources in, we could show what affordable housing needs to look like in St. John the Baptist Parish,” Henderson said.

Parish Councilman Larry Snyder said the project could help resident there now and others “who are maybe just starting out.”

Councilwoman Cheryl Millet asked Henderson where the residents would live during construction.

Henderson said the Housing Authority, through their re-location plan, would help displaced residents.

— By Raquel Derganz Baker