Plaza East repairs accelerate after revolving loan; residents press for more funding and local hiring

Developers and property managers updated the Housing Authority on Oct. 26 about repairs and redevelopment planning at Plaza East, saying a revolving loan has boosted repair pace but significant work remains on the most damaged units.

Channing Jackson of McCormick Baron Salazar and Ron from John Stewart Company said Plaza East’s recent metrics show progress: in September the site opened and closed 55 work orders with an average completion time of four days, and, after a revolving loan the authority approved, crews completed 21 units (seven in September, 14 in October) that had been stalled. Presenters said 18 units are offline: three are in authorized non-residential use (services office, on-site security and Urban Strategies), and 15 require substantial repairs — some with water intrusion and structural damage that may necessitate tens of thousands of dollars per unit and potential HUD capital funding.

Contractor Marcus Lyons said crews found more work than initially scoped once they opened units, increasing the scope of individual repairs. "Since we got the revolving loan, things definitely sped up a lot more than before," Lyons said, adding that some units required additional approvals and unexpected repairs.

Commissioners pressed staff for clearer funding certainty and next steps. The board asked that future reports identify which offline units are intended to be returned to service, which are earmarked for redevelopment, and the specific funding sources (for example HUD loans or other capital grants) being pursued. Staff said John Stewart provided a scope of work to support HUD capital requests and that they will bring more definitive funding status in the next report.

Public commenters, including resident and developer Dennis Williams, argued that developer financial responsibility should be enforced. Williams told the board MBS had requested $42,000,000 for Plaza East but was awarded $2,700,000 by the Board of Supervisors and asked the authority to review compliance and Section 3 hiring priorities so resident businesses get contracting opportunities. The board invited written comment and gave Williams staff contacts to follow up.

Next steps: staff pledged a fuller report next month with a breakdown of which offline units are repairable under the current budget and which require capital funding, and the Plaza East DAC will meet Nov. 1 to discuss economic development and contracting opportunities for residents.