A blighted neighborhood in Newport, cut off from the rest of the city when a new Hwy. 61 was built, would see a turn in fortunes in a sweeping redevelopment plan.
Planners envision injecting new life into about 40 acres of land once known as "Little Chicago" and now christened "Red Rock Gateway." That land, near where Hwy. 61 intersects with Interstate 494, holds substantial promise for a 10-fold increase in Newport's tax base, said Barbara Dacy, executive director of the Washington County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (WCHRA).
That's because redevelopment of that aging and isolated commercial and industrial area could spring from a transit station that will be built next year as part of the ambitious Red Rock Corridor project.
"There could be many development and redevelopment projects that could occur over the next several years," Dacy told county commissioners last week. "From a regional perspective, Red Rock is a key piece to an overall economic development opportunity."
The WCHRA and the City of Newport have worked together on a proposal to build 5,000 square feet of retail space, 450 apartments and 20 townhomes, expand Lions Park, improve utilities and streets, and construct walking trails. The area along Maxwell Avenue, with the transit station as its centerpiece, would undergo a revival that could take years and would involve private investment.
"The goal is to have a logical high-density pattern to support the transit station," Dacy said. Future tax-increment financing could supply some of the revenue for redevelopment, she said.
An abandoned Knox Lumber building, standing on the portion of land where the transit station will go, has been declared blighted and will be demolished. The Washington County Regional Rail Authority -- the County Board under a different name with a different mission -- acquired the site in 2009.
The transit station land is about one quarter of the total acreage under consideration in the larger redevelopment plan.