Tim Landis
The State Journal-Register
A $6 million upgrade of the long-troubled MacArthur Park Apartments in Springfield comes with a new name, new income guidelines for residents and new local management.
Managing director Tom Anderson of Kansas-based Cohen-Esrey Affordable Partners outlined the 12- to 15-month project at a meeting Thursday of the MacArthur Boulevard Association. He said work on the 187-unit complex at 2715 S. MacArthur Blvd. will be done in phases to minimize disruptions for existing residents.
The complex has been renamed The Boulevard Townhomes.
“The goal is to provide good, quality housing for working people in Springfield,” Anderson told the monthly meeting at the American Red Cross headquarters on Outer Park Drive.
Construction is expected to begin in the next two weeks, with residents rotating among apartments as units are upgraded. Anderson said significant improvements had been made in recent years as a result of city pressure on former owner Granite Investment Co. to repair hundreds of code and safety violations.
Cohen-Esrey purchased the apartments with the help of $15 million in financing and approximately $1.3 million in tax credits through an affordable-housing program of the Illinois Housing Development Authority. The company specializes in affordable-housing developments nationwide.
Eligibility for The Boulevard Townhomes is based on a household income range of $30,960 to $44,220 annually, according to information released at the meeting. Current rents of $445 to $525 per month are projected to increase to $685 for a garden unit to $720 for a townhouse. Rent ranges are based on market conditions and federal guidelines. Cohen-Esrey plans to offer current residents in good standing a one-year lease at the new rates, once they move into an upgraded unit.
Anderson said after the meeting that a preliminary analysis found about 75 percent of current residents would qualify under the revised income guidelines. He said local management is meeting with residents to explain the construction and income eligibility. The impending change was welcomed by members and elected officials at the association meeting following years of building-code violations, neighborhood complaints and police calls at MacArthur Park Apartments.
Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, whose ward includes the apartments, said the project has been two years in the works, adding that the upgrades would boost overall efforts to bring new retail and residential development to MacArthur Boulevard.
“We can feel fortunate that our neighborhood is an area where they (Cohen-Esrey) chose to invest,” McMenamin said.
The Boulevard Townhomes
Cohen-Esrey Affordable Partners, a national affordable-housing developer based in Overland Park, Kansas, plans to begin construction in the next two weeks on $6 million worth of upgrades to MacArthur Park Apartments, 2715 S. MacArthur Blvd. in Springfield. The complex has been renamed The Boulevard Townhomes as part of the work.
Here are project highlights, including new income guidelines for residents.
* Interior: New kitchens, including dishwasher, washer and dryer in each unit, new lighting fixtures, updated bathroom, replace flooring, new heating and air-conditioning systems, updated bathrooms and 12 garden units accessible to people with disabilities.
* Exterior: Roofing, solar-power community building and management office; new playground, upgraded landscaping and expanded community garden; repave parking lot, enclosed Dumpsters and improved security lighting.
* Income eligibility: Annual household income of $30,960 to $44,220; current rents of $445 to $525 a month projected to increase to $685 a month for a garden apartment and $720 for a townhouse.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 