According to Tom Sweeney, assistant economic developmentdirector for the city, Main South CDC has taken responsibility forcleaning up the site--which was once home to a number of industrialcompanies--but that was factored into the sale price of theproperty. Nearly 90% of the properties in the seven and a halfacres of the project's first phase have been acquired, with nonetaken by eminent domain.

Clark University will develop a number of athletic fields on thesite. In addition, a new Boys and Girls Club will be erected aswell as 80 to 100 units of affordable housing. Funds for theproject are coming from a variety of sources including federal,city and state sources as well as private donations, Sweeneynotes.

The initiative for the revitalization project came about, hetells GlobeSt.com, "because of the basic decline of theneighborhood, the abandoned buildings and the area's high crimerate." Sweeney estimates that the first phase will be completedwithin two years.