HAMPTON - Hampton's oldest housing project will be demolished.
Lincoln Park, a government subsidized housing complex on LaSalle Avenue, will be replaced by town houses and apartments, according to the Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
On Monday, the housing authority announced the federal government approved their proposal to tear down the 40-plus year old complex.
'Just throughout time the development has become obsolete and it's just outdated, a lot of the amenities and the way it's constructed,' said Ronald Jackson, Executive Director of the Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
The goal of the redevelopment is to break-up a concentration of low-wage earners, according to Jackson.
'They're isolated, they're not really part of the fabric of the city,' said Jackson.
At the end of the year, the housing authority will begin relocating roughly 600 residents. They'll be given federal vouchers that can be used throughout the country. The vouchers allow users to pay no more than 30 percent of the rent at places that accept them.
Once Lincoln Park is torn down, the city plans to build town houses and apartments in hopes to attract a cross-section of wage earners.
'A mixed income development you have different people with different experiences, different professions, that seems to be a lot more nurturing environment for families,' said Jackson.
Lincoln Park's current residents will be eligible to live in this new development.
The project is still in the conceptual stage.
The city says just relocating residents could take two years and it could be as late as 2017 before the new building takes shape.
Many residents are looking forward to the change.
'It'll be a new life for everyone, and the community will be a whole lot better,' said Angela Stores.
