The first phase of the long-awaited redevelopment of the Grove Manor public housing site in Lake Wales is poised to begin, according to a city press release. The first phase of development will include a community center and 78 apartments comprising one, two, and three-bedroom floor plans.
New affordable and market-rate apartments will be constructed at the site of the aging Grove Manor public housing complex just north of downtown Lake Wales. The project will create new walkable neighborhoods close to the city’s central business and entertainment district. To be built in three annual phases, the project will include more than 300 new residential units.
The new units will include affordable and market-rate apartments and will be constructed in three annual phases as tax credits are received. A fourth parcel is being reserved for the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency, which is expected to consider partnering with a private developer to create single-family homes and cottages.
The multi-phased master plan for the 24.74 acres of land will see all 69 of the existing single-story duplexes replaced with two- story or three-story apartment buildings. The completed project is expected to include 308 dwelling units. Redeveloping the large tract was one of the goals set in the Lake Wales Connected plan, which called for the city to “partner with Housing Authority to produce construction-ready design drawings for Grove Manor redevelopment as a walkable, mixed-income neighborhood.”