Remaking the face of the city would be impossible without remaking the river front, almost any river city's most imposing gateway.

In this case, it wasn't just a matter of coming up with the right number to offer a property owner; Riverview Courts is a public housing development, meaning the people who live there have rights protected by the federal government. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would have to approve sale of the property from the Housing Authority of Phenix City to the city; that approval, in turn, depended on the city's ability to relocate the families who live there to acceptable and affordable housing elsewhere, a complicated and expensive process.

As of Monday, HUD apparently was satisfied that Phenix City is proceeding in good faith with that process, because word came down that the sale of The Triangle to the city has been approved. It's been noted in these pages before, but it's worth mentioning again: Most of the cost of replacement housing for the families to be relocated -- almost $3 million total -- is being provided by private donors. That's a pretty generous investment in the future of the community, to put it mildly.

Kellon Shepard, who chairs the Housing Authority board, acknowledged both the historic importance of Riverview Courts and the need for the community to open a new chapter.

"Riverview has served a vital purpose for Phenix City over the years," said Shepard, "but it's time to move on to create a new history, a new legacy."

That legacy is supposed to include a new downtown business campus for Troy University, as well as the $35 million Phenixian apartment-retail complex.

The larger vision also includes redevelopment of Broad Street northward from Dillingham, and the redevelopment of both the 14th Street shopping plaza and the historic original Phenix City downtown.

Think about a vibrant Phenix City downtown-riverfront district tied in with downtown Columbus via the 14th Street pedestrian bridge and Dillingham Street Bridge, with the Chattahoochee as an axis instead of a dividing line. It's a vision that seems a lot more realistic with every obstacle we clear, and this was a big one.

-- Dusty Nix