On June 5th the Worcester Housing Authority (WHA) held a ribbon cutting officially opening up 129 new units of housing at the newly named The Phoenix At Curtis. Upon completion the whole redevelopment project will create 527 units, an increase of about 155 from the orginal construction. 

WHA CEO Alex Corrales said this project transforms public housing, "It's a complete transformation of the entire neighborhood, so we couldn't be more thrilled. We tore down, we demolished about 90 apartments in the first phase, and we've rebuilt here the two new buildings you see in front of you. We've rebuilt to 129 brand new apartments, all affordable, 100% affordable units. And we've already even started the second phase on the property."

Corrales continued, "For someone like myself who's been here for 30 years to see what it was 30 years ago and to what it's becoming now, the transformation and revitalization of this neighborhood, I couldn't be happier. The first building that was completed first in the first phase is 100% occupied. The second building, we expect that over the next week or two, it will also be 100% occupied. And it's just that they're so thrilled to be able to live in an apartment that has amenities of 2026 versus the amenities that were offered in the 1950s. The change is critical to what the goal was. You know, the stigma I think that sometimes public housing has, specifically here in Great Brook Valley with Curtis Apartments, still holds true today even though the property is one of the safest neighborhoods around. But those brick buildings, they screamed public housing. These new buildings, what it looks like, it's like another neighborhood in the city of Worcester, a beautiful neighborhood."