Bright Community Trust kicked off the second phase of its partnership with the city of Gainesville, breaking ground on two future homes off Hawthorne Road.
Gainesville donated six lots to Bright Community Trust in 2024 for construction of affordable homes. This second phase comes after an initial batch of four lots already finished completion and have been sold. The trust cut the ribbon on its first home in August 2024.
Frank Wells, president of the trust, said the trust has tried to be creative with the lots. Looking at the dimensions, he said the team saw that one of the lots could fit a duplex and another could accommodate two houses instead of just one.
Of the 10 total lots given by Gainesville, Wells said Bright Community Trust will provide 12 affordable homes.
“From that initial vision just a couple of years ago, it will not be very long until we have 12 new families who are homeowners in Gainesville, and we hope that we are just getting started here,” Wells said.
The city entered an agreement with Bright Community Trust in 2023 after conducting a search for a land trust partner. The trust builds the homes and retains ownership of the underlying land. When the trust sells the home, the buyers only pay for the actual structure.
The sale involves a 99-year contract, but the resident has the same equity-building opportunity as other homeowners. If the family decides to move, they sell the home back to Bright Community Trust and gain whatever equity has been built. Then the land trust turns around and resells the home at the 80% area median income level.
Mayor Harvey Ward said the new homes will be more than just additions to the area’s housing stock. He said the homes are kitchens for nourishment, bedrooms for rest and rooms for generations of families to grow.
“I’m so proud of everybody here and everybody working on this, not just at City Hall, but throughout our community,” Ward said. “Because I believe that our community believes we can do better for each other, and this is evidence of that.”
Ward said it does the city no good to hold onto vacant lots when they can be put to good use. Standing on the vacant lot, he highlighted that a home once stood on the site and will again.
The property is 2455 SE 10th Avenue, and in 2015 an occupied home sat on the site. The property entered Alachua County’s hands in 2020 before moving to the city of Gainesville the following year. A structure was still visible in 2023 before being removed.
Ward said the city uses the term “neighbor” a lot. But who is included in that? Ward said the short answer is whoever needs help.
Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker said she’s proud to stand on land that is an example of progress driven by the city of Gainesville and the Bright Community Trust. She thanked Ward for reminding them of their neighbors.
“I like to think that the work that the city of Gainesville has begun demonstrates that we are proving that we are our neighbor’s keeper. We are our neighbor’s keeper,” Duncan-Walker said.
