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New affordable housing in Lake Wales
Now over 50 years old, Grove Manor in Lake Wales is ready for a major upgrade. FOX 13's Carla Bayron reports.
LAKE WALES, Fla. - A public housing complex in Lake Wales will be demolished and redeveloped into affordable housing.
Grove Manor opened back in the '70s in the historic core and, as such, is in need of significant repairs.
Janet Walker was born and raised in Lake Wales and has lived at Grove Manor for 40 years.
"I took the good with the bad because I needed somewhere to stay," said Walker. "I love the people who work here. I love Albert and his crew. They're nice people, and this is a really lovely little neighborhood."
The backstory:
The public housing complex, built back in 1972, has 120 units that need major repairs.
It will be demolished in phases — the first starting in a couple of weeks — and then it will be redeveloped into affordable housing with 210 units.
"There's a lot of us who can't afford to move, and I'm one of them," said Walker. "I'm a low-income person."
Big picture view:
Al Kirkland, the executive director of the Lake Wales Housing Authority, says this has been a long time coming, as the organization has wanted to provide residents with better housing conditions.
"Rents here are going up and not going down, especially in the northwest area," said Kirkland. "So we want to make Lake Wales a more affordable place to live."
By the numbers:
The city contributed $1 million to help in the design phase, and Polk County provided $1.5 million.
The Lake Wales Housing Authority also received $21 million in federal income tax credits.
Kirkland says 85% of the residents are staying in Lake Wales; the other 15% were given housing choice vouchers to live elsewhere within Polk County.
Walker says she is thrilled because Grove Manor was due for an upgrade.
"I'm a senior citizen, and we need that for us," said Walker. "It's going to be so beautiful out here, and I'll be glad to live out here when it gets done."
What's next:
Construction is expected to be completed in 18 months.
The Source: This article was written with information from the Lake Wales Housing Authority, the city of Lake Wales, a resident of Grove Manor, and FOX 13's Carla Bayron.