OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Oak Ridge community may soon have more housing options, as the city's housing authority starts working towards building around 104 new affordable rental units in the Scarboro community. During the second phase of the project, 10 affordable homeownership options may also become available for families.
The Oak Ridge Housing Authority held a meeting at the Scarboro Community Center on Friday to discuss its plans to build the new housing options. Leaders said they worked with the community to identify the best structures for the area, such as townhomes and flats. They also plan to build community space and green space for Scarboro.
Maria Catron, the executive director of the housing authority, said the new rental units are only one of the group's projects.
She said the housing authority was also working to rehabilitate existing public housing structures, some of which have not seen rehabilitation work in at least 50 years. She said there are 128 public housing units in the Oak Ridge area, located across eight sites.
She also said each unit would cost between $75,000 and $85,000 to rehabilitate.
"Currently, we have over 1,800 households that are on the waiting list, looking for and needing affordable housing to live in. The stock is just not here in Oak Ridge," Catron said. "As a board and staff, we said, 'Where can we go in the community and try to address those needs?'"
An Oak Ridge action plan for fiscal year 2025 identified residential development as one of its goals. The plan called for leaders to work with the housing authority and other groups to create and preserve affordable housing and to create a variety of housing options across the community.