KCDC BREAKS GROUND FOR NEW SENIOR HOUSING

Published: 10/1/2010 11:28:20 AM

Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC), along with elected officials and other project partners, broke ground today on a $14.46 million residence for seniors on the site of the historic Eastport School.

Eastport School, founded circa 1870, is believed to be the first school for African-Americans in Knoxville’s Eastport community. The historic brick building will now become the cornerstone for the Residences at Eastport, a sustainable housing community for seniors.  

The project to re-purpose the school and adjacent vacant property into an 85-unit, affordable housing complex for low- and moderate-income seniors is the first step in the efforts to revitalize this inner-city neighborhood.  

“This project takes an important building which has been empty and deteriorating and gives it new life,” said KCDC executive director and CEO Alvin Nance. “We will be working within the LEED certification criteria, which will ensure that our project is both sustainable and cost-efficient. When complete, the Residences at Eastport will be LEED-certified Green Homes.”  

Focal points of the Eastport construction project will include energy efficiency, water efficiency and improved indoor air-quality, key factors for LEED certification and for long-term cost savings.  

In addition to the environmental sustainability of the project, KCDC wants to preserve the history and maintain the look and feel of the neighborhood. The architectural design of the Residences at Eastport preserves the façade of the old school. The design also incorporates the school’s other unique features into the additional units to be built on the adjacent property.