MARTINSVILLE, Va. – There’s a new neighborhood coming to Martinsville and the ground-breaking is happening right before the holidays.
“I think it’s so appropriate that we are doing this during Thanksgiving,” Martinsville Councilmember Jim Woods said. “I am so thankful. This is what’s right with Martinsville.”
Five Points neighborhood will include 12 single-family homes and 15 town homes on both sides of Church Street.
The city manager, Leon Towarnicki, said as businesses look to expand in the area, a question about housing kept recurring.
“As new companies come to this area, one of the questions they frequently hear is where are our employees going to live?,” he said.
Therefore, the homes were designed to have an affordable price tag.
“We are gearing this towards individuals making $15 to $20 an hour,” Towarnicki said. “Somewhere in that 30 to 45 thousand a year range.”
Virginia Housing Development Authority gained a half million-dollar grant for the project to help keep the rent low for owners.
“These are families who will be able to own homes,” Harvest Foundation President Kathryn Keller said. “Some for the very first time.”
Project partners said they can see the full circle when it comes to the economy.
27 more families means more foot traffic and more spending to benefit the local businesses.
“It builds into the vision of having a more thriving uptown by having more people to walk down here,” Keller said.
The city expects to generate $100,000 a year in utilities and taxes.
Construction is expected to be completed by early Fall 2021.