News Release from WCTI Channel 12
New Bern Housing Authority unveiled final redevelopment plan for damaged public housing
by Bilyana Garland | Wed, June 4th 2025 at 12:10 AM
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NEW BERN, Craven County - New Bern Housing Authority held its final public input meeting Tuesday, presenting an updated plan to rebuild public housing in both Trent Court and Five Points damaged by Hurricane Florence.
Many of the Craven Terrace apartments in Five Points sat in disrepair. Chairman of the Housing Authority Commission Jennell Reddick described the conditions as unsafe and unlivable.
"There is mold everywhere. There is water damage. And the smells" she said.
Reddick said people often broke into the abandoned units, with some using them for shelter.
"It's really, really in bad condition," she added.
The apartments dated back to the 1940s. Even before Florence hit in 2018, city leaders pushed to rebuild the aging complex, but funding and planning delayed the process for years.
The new vision included tearing down and rebuilding 218 units, adding 134 more affordable units, and adding 85 new market-rate units. The Housing Authority said the project would add more affordable housing and introduce mixed-income units.
The vision includes:
- Reclaiming vacant land in Five Points
- Improving property condition
- Developing new for-sale housing on infill lots
- Improve/extend riverfront trail
- Build safe walking routes between new housing and Stanley White Recreation Center
- Reinvigorating the Broad St. corridor
- Adding special paving to slow traffic
- Restore McCarthy Square Fountain
- Create historic West St. School Museum
- Redevelop vacant sites along Broad St.
- Duffyfield storm water
- Create a future Duffyfield medical center
- Choose a future location for the Boys and Girls club
Since October, the agency hosted a series of public meetings to gather community input.
"If you don't show up, you may not get all you deserve," one speaker said during the meeting.
Reddick said the plan reflects what the community asked for: better educational support, stronger health outcomes, improved access to services, and more connected neighborhoods.
"We want to show the community that we are for them, that we are moving forward, that we are planning and including them," Reddick said.
Pete Fry, who owns Brewery 99 near the area, said he's optimistic about the direction.
"I've only lived here 25 years and I've seen a lot of changes, but I think the next ten years will be the best ten years."
Clarence Monroe, who lives in the Five Points area, said the plans seemed ambitious but hopeful.
"Kind of a little far out there, but it's coming," Monroe said.
Construction won't begin until the Housing Authority secures a federal grant. Reddick said the detailed redevelopment plan improves their chances of receiving funding, but nothing is guaranteed.
An open house showcasing the full proposal is happening Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Craven Community College Neumann Community in Ward Hall Room 115, 800 College Ct. New Bern.