Developers will play a key role in the Phenix City Housing Authority's next step toward the redevelopment of the Riverview Courts Apartments.

The housing authority presented its five-year plan to the Phenix City Council and other community leaders Monday night in a joint meeting at the Municipal Building.

Director Judy Hare and Authority chairman Kellon Shepard joined its consultants Otis Stewart and Danny Queen of the Stewart Group in making the presentation, which included an extensive face-lift of the Frederick Douglass property, replacement housing plans and a housing authority initiative to make home ownership a reality for some residents.

But a key focus for the authority and the council is the redevelopment of the Riverview Courts Apartments, a key part of the $273.5 million Downtown/Riverfront District Plan.

Queen told the council the next step in the process of redeveloping Riverview is a request for qualification for developers evaluating the properties.

"We want to see if we can get a development partner," Queen said, "or on their own, to come in and do what's best for that property -- what's best for that property and what's best for its tenants.

"We don't know what that means. We want to see someone come in and say, 'Hey, I've got this great idea and we can do this,' and everybody is real happy and we'll go with that. But we need to... kind of outline what we're looking for in someone to come in and redevelop that property. We know it needs redevelopment."

Last month the Phenix City Council sent the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development a letter of intent to purchase the "triangle" area of Riverview Courts, the 700 and 800 blocks of the development.

Troy University Phenix City would move its business program from its south Phenix City campus in part of the development.

Nothing the Housing Authority described Monday would change those plans, although a new appraisal of the Riverview Courts property may move the price up or down.

The city had intentions of spending about $720,000 for the property. Sammy Howard, chairman of the East Alabama Riverfront Development Group, said the appraisal would not cause the price to fluctuate greatly either up or down.