Fort Worth Housing Solutions said Wednesday it will name the second multifamily development in the city’s Stop Six Neighborhood Initiative in Southeast Fort Worth after the legendary retired Dunbar High School basketball coach, Robert Hughes Sr.
Hughes House will be a 210-unit, mixed-use, mixed-income complex at 4830 and 4908 E. Rosedale Street, east and west of Amanda Avenue, and on part of the former Cavile Place public housing project.
Hughes led the Dunbar boys’ program from 1973 to 2005 and at the historic I. M. Terrell High School from 1958 to 1973, before the previously segregated campus closed. Over 47 years, Hughes’ teams posted a 1,333-265 record, five state championships and 35 district championships. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 2017.
“Fort Worth Housing Solutions is thrilled to be able to honor Coach Hughes and his positive impact on generations of student-athletes who grew up in Stop Six and their families,” President Mary-Margaret Lemons said in a release.
“The Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative builds on the cohesiveness and rich history of this southeast Fort Worth community. Hughes House will be a lasting reminder of Coach Hughes’ commitment to hard work and perseverance.”
Robert “Bob” Hughes Jr., Hughes’ son and Dunbar’s head basketball coach since 2005, said “my dad believed in a strong work ethic, pushing yourself to the limit and self-discipline – that’s all he knew. And that’s what I stress with my players. When you think of Stop Six, you think of my dad. He really put Stop Six, and Fort Worth, on the map, and it’s important to preserve that history.”
Hughes Sr. has two daughters: Carlye J. Hughes, the Episcopal Bishop of Newark; and Robin L. Hughes, dean of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Education, Health and Human Behavior.
Fort Worth Housing Solutions is seeking 9% low-income housing tax credits to help finance the development. The complex will include 166 units offered at reduced rents to qualified residents; 44 units will be available at market rates.
Hughes House is Phase II of the Stop Six Initiative, designed to redevelop part of the heart of the lower-income Stop Six neighborhood, including the 22 acres of Cavile Place.
Housing Solutions is preparing to go out to bids for Cowan Place, the first phase of the redevelopment project. Construction is expected to begin in early June on Cowan Place, a 174-unit senior living community at East Rosedale and Stalcup Road. Completion would take an estimated two years.
Hughes House is the next piece of the development. In total, 1,042 apartments are planned for all six phases of the Stop Six Initiative. Cavile had 300 apartments.
The Stop Six Choice Neighborhood effort was launched in 2020 when the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Housing Solutions and the City of Fort Worth a $35 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant.
The HUD grant will be spread across six phases of development and is expected to lever $345 million in investment. The City of Fort Worth plans additional infrastructure improvements, including a new community hub and aquatics center.
Former Cavile Place residents who moved as part of the redevelopment have the right to return as the new properties open.
Fort Worth City Councilwoman Gyna Bivens, whose district includes Stop Six, said in the release, “Coach Hughes is arguably the most nationally-recognized figure to come from Stop Six. His leadership, dedication to his students and investment in their future is worthy of this recognition. We’re indebted to his family and so pleased that his contributions will be etched into the bright future of our community.”