New Apartments Coming To Old Cloverdale
A new apartment complex is coming to the Old Cloverdale neighborhood — but will it keep the charm that makes this historic district so loved? Just across the street from Old Cloverdale businesses on East Fairview Avenue is an empty plot of land — but that’s only for now. Montgomery city councilman, Arch Lee says a three-story, 48-apartment complex will sit on the corner of Navarro Avenue and Boultier Street in the near future, next to the old Cloverdale School. “The demand, I would think, would be there, you know, with the universities in that area and as well as the neighborhoods there for some single individuals, single families wanting to live there,” Said Montgomery City Councilman, Arch Lee. But what will the apartments look like? It’s a question Tony Hickman, President of the Old Cloverdale Association has. He hopes the apartments will preserve the look of the Historic District. “We do have concerns we feel certain and hope that they would keep the plan in the spirit of the neighborhood as far as design goes,” Said Hickman. Lee says there has been a demand to bring apartments to Old Cloverdale for years. While renderings of the new complex haven’t been submitted, Lee says they have to be up to SMART code, which means the buildings must be able to be used for both businesses and apartments. “It brings, you know, increased property value, more people down there, more business, hey you know if those business owners in that area. You’re about to get potentially 100-plus new residents right across the street from you,” Said Lee. It’s a new project Hickman says he hopes won’t be the end of Cloverdale’s Historic District. “Our design, architectural styles… there’s such an eclectic mix in our neighborhoods and we like that a lot. We just feel very strongly we want to keep it in that spirit,” Said Hickman. Hickman says another concern for him is parking in the area. He says it’s already a problem and hopes the developer will go before the Old Cloverdale Association to present the apartment plan. Now, that the area has been re-plotted, the apartment plans will be submitted to the city in the coming weeks, according to Lee. A groundbreaking date has not been set yet.
