By Mary Hladky
After years of effort, the rebuilding of the Dixie Manor public housing project will begin soon.
Ashley Whidby, executive director of the Boca Raton Housing Authority, told Boca Raton City Council members in late January that half of Dixie Manor residents are being relocated so that buildings on the north side of the complex can be demolished. Some are moving into units on the complex’s south side.
Once the residents move, the housing authority can close on financing, and then demolition will begin about 60 days later. Construction of new buildings will take about 18 months, she said.
After that, the second phase of the project will begin, to demolish and replace the south side buildings.
The new complex will be known as the Residences at Martin Manor. The housing authority has joined with co-developer Atlantic Pacific Communities to complete the project.
Dixie Manor is in Pearl City, a historically Black community founded in 1915 before Boca Raton was incorporated. Pearl City is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Dixie Manor buildings, which have 95 apartments, date to 1941 and are badly in need of replacement.
The housing authority launched efforts to accomplish that more than five years ago. But the effort stirred angst and anger as Dixie Manor residents feared they would lose their apartments and might not be able to return to the new buildings.
Their fears were exacerbated by skyrocketing rental rates throughout South Florida, leading residents to worry that they might end up homeless. They also criticized the housing authority for not being transparent about what it was doing and for poor communication.
Whidby told council members that of those who already have moved out, none have said they will return, although they have the right to do so.
For those moving to apartments outside the complex, the housing authority will cover moving expenses, application fees, and security and utility deposits, Whidby said in an interview.
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