Demolition and Rebuilding Begin at 12th and Chicon
A building near 12th and Chicon Streets will make way for a mixed-use building. Photo by Kelly Connelly/KUT NewsAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
A building just steps away from the infamous corner of 12th and Chicon streets was demolished today.
Locals say the corner was a hot spot for crime. That’s why the neighborhood association worked to clear the block and pushed for new development on what they call the Chicon Corridor.
The bright yellow building used to be just another neighborhood home. But the corner it sat on became a center of the drug trade.
The demolition will make way for a retail and residential building. The Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corp., a nonprofit connected with the area neighborhood association, is responsible for the project.
Sarah Andre, the project coordinator, says the development should reduce crime in the area.
“People just want to see that,” Andre said. “They want to see a 24-hour presence. They want it to be a lively area. Having mixed use, I think part of that was wanting that 24-hour presence, wanting to invigorate the space.”
Two other buildings between 12th and 14th streets are slated to meet the same fate. Developers hope to have people move into their replacements by late 2013.
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