Reporter-News Archives Wednesday, March 26, 1997 Habitat announces plans for northside neighborhood By LORETTA FULTON Regional Editor Four years and $1.6 million from now, Abilene will have a new neighborhood in the midst of one of its oldest. The North Sayles Neighborhood will be home to the Cornerstone Addition, a Habitat for Humanity project. Twenty-one new homes will be constructed around a cul-de-sac where, until recently, the old Naval Reserve Center stood on South Fifth Street. Other homes in the North Sayles Neighborhood, an area that extends from South First to South Seventh and Sayles to Butternut, will be renovated. At a luncheon Tuesday at the Civic Center, the project was highlighted during the city of Abilene's Community Development Week. Part of the funding for the Habitat project comes from a federal Community Development Block Grant that is administered by the city. The designated week, which also is celebrated on a national level, "is an opportunity for us to highlight some of the projects we fund with our federal dollars," said Wanda Merritt, community development administrator for the city. The North Sayles Neighborhood project was chosen after Habitat concluded its Holiday Hills renovation, said Brenda Coleman, Habitat director. North Sayles was one of three area that was under consideration and was chosen partly because one building at the old Naval Reserve Center was suitable to serve as an office and storage facility during construction. The city of Abilene, which owned the land, was asked to donate the property for construction of the new homes. Surveys were done in the area to determine whether current homeowners wanted Habitat's presence. "We wanted to make sure they felt good about Habitat coming into their neighborhood," Coleman said. When the project is done, Coleman said she hopes to see young couples pushing their babies in strollers along the addition's sidewalks. "Then you've built something good," she said. Planners anticipate that the Cornerstone Addition will serve as an impetus for other improvements in the area. Coleman said that of the $1.6 million needed for the project, almost $1 million has been raised - $500,000 from a Community Development Block Grant, $200,000 from First National Bank, $30,000 from West Texas Utilities and $222,000 from an anonymous foundation. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1997, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications