December 8, 2020
Gainesville city commissioners have given the green light to develop an affordable housing project in the eastern part of the city.
Per the agenda documents obtained by WCJB, the block of land at 612 Southeast 21st Street is currently unused. The documents also state that the developer, Housing Trust Group LLC, has requested to purchase the land for $840,000. The land is privately appraised at less than a quarter of that.
The final vote was six to one in favor of approving the land sale. The one dissenting voice, Commissioner Gigi Simmons, cited hesitation to agree with Housing Trust Group LLC's terms due to the tax credit they need in order to buy the land. Simmons had preferred to wait for an opportunity to sell the land to a developer that didn't require a tax credit.
But Simmons was outnumbered, with fellow commissioners citing the urgency to create affordable housing sooner rather than rather, and now Housing Trust Group LLC plans to move forward with the project. The plans call for a 96-unit affordable housing development. One last hurdle stands between the developer and beginning of the project: Housing Trust Group LLC must provide a report on what minority and women-owned contractors they are working with to break the ground.
