Housing authority outlines Dixie Manor repositioning plan; residents seek clearer guarantees on return and relocation

The Boca Raton Housing Authority on Monday told the City Council it plans to reposition the Dixie Manor public-housing site through HUD's Streamline Voluntary Conversion and has assembled financing to begin construction on the north half of the property.

Ashley Whitby, executive director of the Boca Raton Housing Authority, said the conversion moves the site from the public-housing platform to a Housing Choice Voucher platform intended to fund a complete redevelopment that improves unit quality and long-term affordability. "Through repositioning, the Boca Raton Housing Authority stands to give our residents a better quality of life through new units, and we also stand to double the number of affordable housing units on our site," Whitby said.

Why it matters: BRHA officials said the site's buildings lack modern amenities and face deferred capital needs. The authority and its co-developer say repositioning will enable sustainable, code-compliant construction and preserve affordable units in a revitalized community, while providing tenant-protection vouchers to current residents during relocation.

Funding, timing and scale: Michelle Feigenbaum of Atlantic Pacific Companies described the financing package that supports phase 1: roughly $18 million in low-income housing tax credits, about $24 million in…