PARRAMORE, Fla. – City officials broke ground Tuesday as they announced a new phase of construction to build homes in the Paramore neighborhood.
“We want to make sure that everybody that wants to live in Orlando can live in Orlando,” Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
Mayor Dyer, joined by other city leaders including Commissioner Regina Hill to announce the third phase of the city’s Affordable Housing Plan.
The project ramped up back in 2018, as part of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) efforts to increase the number and quality of homeownership opportunities to residents, phase one commenced with the construction of three homes.
In 2019, efforts continued with phase two of the project, adding five additional homes, and now for phase three, it is set to bring eight new homes to the neighborhood, for a total of 16 new homes to the area.
The homes will each feature more than 1,500 square feet of living space with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. Other amenities include LED lighting and energy star appliances to help keep utility costs down and affordable.
“It has taken, years and years and years to get to this point, but I am so glad that we are here,” Commissioner Regina Hill said.
Commissioner Hill said this project means a lot to her and said she has already put plans in place to make sure those who do come into these new homes can afford to stay in their home.
“I put a home buyer’s club together with Hands of Central Florida and they are certifying folks that will move into these homes are on the proper upkeep, own taxes, all the proper things that first-time homeowners might not understand,” Hill said.
Those in Parramore’s faith-based community say this new phase shows their talks with city leaders are being realized.
“Everything we talked about has been checked off,” Pastor Robert Spooney said.
Interested buyers can apply for the CRA Down Payment Assistance Program, which provides additional financial assistance aimed at making these homes more affordable for qualified buyers.