With long-awaited approval by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development secured, Phenix City officials are looking forward to the next step after the sale of The Triangle is complete.

HUD's approval of the city's $2,965,000 purchase of 700 and 800 block buildings of Riverview Courts Apartments is the key piece to the makeover of Phenix City's Chattahoochee riverfront.

Once the sale is completed and the city hands over the deed to Troy University, other pieces should fall into place, including a six-story, $6 million building to house the university's business department and the beginning of construction of Ronnie Gilley Properties' $35 million The Phenixian -- a residential-retail development at the western terminus of the 14th Street bridge and Third Avenue.

"Thank God we got it," said Housing Authority Director Judy Hare. "This has been a lot of work. The last few days before we got approval were really hectic because of some issues that came up, but we've got it and it's in hand."

Hare said the 11 families that remain in The Triangle buildings had been informed of the possibility of HUD's approval of the sale last Thursday, before the approval officially came down. The relocation of the families in other housing developments should begin shortly, with meetings beginning as early as today. The housing authority is being assisted in relocating residents by Creative Community Solutions, a group affiliated with developer Mike Bowden and run by DeWayne Richardson.

"Everybody in the community was looking for this to be a wonderful, wonderful development here on the riverfront," Hare said.

Thankful

Phenix City Mayor Jeff Hardin, who was joined by City Council members Gail Brantley, Ray Bush and John Storey at the announcement, thanked the council for supporting the vision of riverfront development passed down through earlier administrations and groups such as the private East Alabama Riverfront Development and the Downtown Redevelopment Authority.

"This has been a tough undertaking and we're at a pivotal point right now," said Hardin, who also thanked Troy University for its commitment to be the "education component" of the downtown and riverfront development. "We look forward to working with Troy University and all the other partners in going out and raising all of the money to complete this. We know this is a project that will forever change Phenix City."

The city council agreed in August to purchase the property for $2,965,000. The original purchase price was $965,000, but the requirement to provide unit-for-unit replacement in the contract pushed the cost up by the additional $2 million. Former Mayor Sammy Howard has been involved in securing private donors to bridge the gap in funding.

Troy University Vice-Chancellor Curtis Pitts said the development of the riverfront has been talked about for more than three decades and now it is time for it to happen. The university has already begun its work on the riverfront, with education students helping children from the housing development through a Christmas program and summer educational program.

"We can do a lot to make sure the lives of these children are changed forever," Pitts said. "We're trying to teach them... if you believe you can -- you can. We're going to make a difference in their lives." Pitts said the redevelopment of the riverfront with Troy as an integral part is a "fantastic" opportunity. "It's a chance that only comes once in a lifetime. We've got to make it happen," he said. "I'm going to devote the years I've got left and hopefully it's not going to take very long."

Construction time

J.W. Brannen, chair of the Downtown Redevelopment Authority, said Gilley Properties had not been informed of The Triangle developments early Monday but would be notified by the afternoon. He predicted the high-rise project, which had undergone some design changes recently, will be ready for a construction start soon after the sale of The Triangle is complete.

The Phenixian will be built adjacent to the Troy University building and straddle 14th Street at its intersection with Third Avenue. The developers own the bank building on the northwest corner of the 14th and Third intersection. The building will be renovated as a sales office for The Phenixian, including model condominiums.

The remainder of Riverview Courts Apartments will be eventually redeveloped by Creative Community Solutions into a residential-office community. Kellon Shepard, chairman of the housing authority board, noted the change in the area during his statement opening the Monday news conference.

"Riverview has served a vital purpose for Phenix City over the years," Shepard said, "but it's time to move on to create a new history, a new legacy. This step today is a tangible step toward the demolition of new units, the construction of the Troy University campus, and the beginning of a beautiful, vital riverfront community of learning, living, shopping and entertainment."