FORT WORTH, Texas, June 15, 2023 – The Stop Six community, along with city and governmental representatives, valued partners and civic leaders, joined Fort Worth Housing Solutions in breaking ground on Hughes House, the second mixed-income, multifamily development in the Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative.
Named in honor of Robert Hughes Sr., the winningest coach in the history of boys’ high school basketball, Phase I of Hughes House will consist of a 162-unit, mixed-use, mixed-income four-story development that will rise on E. Rosedale Street, east and west of Amanda Avenue, and on a portion of the former Cavile Place public housing site.
(Photo/Sharon Ellman)
“It’s very important that the progress we’re seeing across our community is not just in the West Side or the North Side, it is also happening in historic Stop Six, and I think this project really reflects that,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said. “It is also really important to know the commitment this community has to those who came before us. And what this project in particular recognizes is the individuals who built Stop Six get to return to Stop Six.”
Hughes House is part of the landmark Stop Six Choice Neighborhood effort that launched in 2020 when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded FWHS and the City of Fort Worth a $35 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant. Former Cavile Place residents who relocated as part of the redevelopment process have the right to return to the community as new FWHS properties come online, such as Cowan Place, which is scheduled to open later this year.
“The community has always had a strong voice in what we wanted this to become, and we appreciate your input, we want your input and will continue to ask for it,” FWHS President Mary-Margaret Lemons said at the groundbreaking.
(Photo/Sharon Ellman)
The HUD grant will be spread across six phases of development and is expected to leverage $345 million in investment for the neighborhood. In all, Fort Worth Housing Solutions will develop approximately 1,000 new units across the community. The City of Fort Worth plans additional infrastructure improvements, including a new community hub and aquatics center.
FWHS also received an additional $4 million from the federal government to assist with public infrastructure improvements related to Hughes House.
“We have dealt with redlining. We’ve dealt with environmental justice, anything that could be harmful, but we’re still here,” said Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens, whose district includes Stop Six. “And because of the partnership between the housing authority and the city of Fort Worth and the county and D.C., things are going to be better.”
(Photo/Sharon Ellman)
Dr. Robin Hughes, Hughes’ daughter, delivered the closing remarks, sharing the gratitude of her family and a vision of the future for Stop Six.
“The greater good here is to build a sense of home,” she said. “We’re also hopeful that we all continue to keep our eyes on the prize and that’s community uplift and support.”
McCormack Baron Salazar of St. Louis, Mo., is the development partner for Hughes House and Block Companies, of Houston and Baton Rouge, is the general contractor.
The groundbreaking also included donations to See It Through Charities and Boys and Girls Club of America.
About the Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative
The Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative is a multi-year effort developed by residents, community leaders and stakeholders to transform a historic community in Southeast Fort Worth into a vibrant, safe and sustainable community with access to quality education, healthcare, services and amenities – a “neighborhood of choice.” The effort is guided by a 2019 Transformation Plan that calls for six phases of new, mixed-income housing, commercial space, neighborhood improvements and multi-purpose community hub and aquatics center. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development seeded the transformation with a $35 grant Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant awarded to Fort Worth Housing Solutions and the City of Fort Worth in 2020. In all, the initial HUD grant is expected to trigger more than $345 million in investment and improvements for the Stop Six community.
