Update: What’s the status of the Unity Park affordable housing projects?

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Back in September, we got our first look at the plans for new housing around Unity Park. It’s an investment worth $15 million with the goal of creating hundreds of new housing opportunities. That was 6 months ago, so what’s the status of those projects now?

This is not just any investment, it’s an investment for affordable housing. Several developers are on board but the Greenville Housing Fund has been leading the process.

Monday in city council, final approval was given to donate more land on Oscar Street to the Greenville Housing Fund. This land will be used to build 52 workforce housing units and 39 homes. The next steps will be a neighborhood meeting to get design input and name ideas. Then it’ll move to the planning commission for approval. It should break ground this summer.

Another project already approved by the planning commission and almost ready for groundbreaking, will be senior apartments. It’s called Southernside Senior-- adjacent to Miracle Hill Rescue Mission. GHF says even though designs are approved, they’re working out some funding challenges. Moving further down Washington road, they are in the early stages of planning to create a site with affordable homes.

“Every unit of affordable housing that we can provide in a neighborhood that’s really feeling gentrification pressures, you know the work that we’re doing is really an antidote to some of that gentrification pressure by adding supply of affordable and workforce housing” said Bryan Brown, President of the Greenville Housing Fund.

Most of these projects will have units available starting at 50% of the area median income (AMI). By HUD standards that’s affordable for a family of 4 that makes $42,000 a year or a single person who makes $29,000 a year.

In the end, Brown says the goal is to create 1000 new units of affordable housing across 8 different sites. We’ll continue to follow and bring you updates.

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