Fort Worth officials and residents gathered Wednesday for the grand opening of Babers Manor, a new mixed-income housing development marking another major step in the redevelopment of the historic Stop Six neighborhood in Southeast Fort Worth.
Babers Manor is named for Clarence Donald Babers, a longtime Fort Worth community activist and former regional administrator with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The 80-unit development, built by GMA Construction Group, is one of several projects that Fort Worth Housing Solutions and its partners are creating to replace the now-demolished Cavile Place, a 300-unit public housing complex built in the 1950s. Babers Manor includes a mix of townhomes and apartments along Ramey Avenue and Edgewood Terrace and provides residents with access to on-site social services and community amenities.
The property also features a fitness center, clubhouse, business center, and two playgrounds.
Former Cavile Resident Welcomes New Home
T’Shawna Brown, a former Cavile Place resident who now lives at Babers Manor, said the new development represents the fulfillment of a promise made to residents during the neighborhood’s redevelopment.
“I trusted the process. I trusted the promise that Fort Worth had a solution for us,” Brown said, Fox 4 KDFW reported. “Something better was to come to Stop Six. Today I can stand here and say you kept your word.”
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker also spoke during the grand opening, highlighting the work required to bring new affordable housing to the neighborhood.
“I just want us to recognize that these types of projects don’t just happen,” Parker said, per Fox 4. “… We’re doing it right here in Stop Six, which is truly incredible.”
Some Units Designated as Low-Income Housing
Fort Worth Housing Solutions previously identified the 80-unit development as the third phase of the broader Stop Six housing transformation. The development was designed as part of an effort to replace Cavile Place while adding modern housing and community amenities to Stop Six.
Of the development’s units, 51 are designated as low-income housing for households earning up to 30%, 50%, 60%, or 80% of the area median income. Federal rental subsidies are attached to 43 of those units rather than to individual tenants. Four subsidized units are designated for people who were formerly homeless.
Financing for Babers Manor included $16.34 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and $161,000 in federal 45L energy-efficiency tax credits.
Stop Six Redevelopment Continues
The redevelopment effort began in 2020, when the City of Fort Worth and Fort Worth Housing Solutions received a $35 million federal grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The broader Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative is expected to produce roughly 900 or more mixed-income housing units along with additional community improvements. The city has described the initiative as a comprehensive revitalization effort in the historically black neighborhood.
Babers Manor follows other housing developments in the initiative, including Cowan Place and Hughes House. Additional phases remain in development as Fort Worth Housing Solutions continues replacing the former Cavile Place complex.
For former Cavile Place residents, the redevelopment has provided opportunities to return to the neighborhood as replacement housing becomes available. Babers Manor’s opening adds another completed piece to that larger transformation while providing new housing options and community amenities for Stop Six residents.
