Mainstreet Daily News
The City of Gainesville and Alachua Habitat for Humanity broke ground on the site of four future affordable homes in the Duval Community on Monday morning.
The four lots given by the city mark the beginning of Gainesville’s pilot Affordable Housing Property-Donation Program. The city plans to give an additional seven lots in the same area to grow the number of homes to 11, according to a press release.
The first four homes will be completed within two years and include two-, three-, and four-bedroom houses.
Alachua Habitat for Humanity will sell the new houses to first-time homeowners whose household incomes fall below 80 percent of the area median income.
“These homes will help bring a great quality of life to both the families who live in them as well as the surrounding neighborhood,” Mayor Lauren Poe said in a statement. “Abundant housing is the solution to the affordable housing crisis, and today is one step closer to bridging the gap.”
The homeowners will also need to put in the work as they help build the house they will live in.
“I was born and raised in Gainesville, and am so grateful the city is building up this area,” Ashley Burke, one of the future homeowners, said in a statement. “I want to pass the house on to my daughter one day.”
Affordable housing issues continue to go before the Gainesville City Commission. Earlier this month, the commission voted to move forward with a memorandum of understanding with Gainesville Housing Authority to create an official partnership for future projects.