Big changes are coming to an aging public housing community in Lake Wales.
Patrick Walker has called Grove Manor home for 35 years. Now he is watching the only neighborhood he’s known prepare for a major change.
Construction is now underway to redevelop Grove Manor into affordable housing. Tampa Bay 28 reporter Rebecca Petit first highlighted the $29 million project in February.
The new Grove Manor will feature 210 affordable housing units, including apartments and single-family homes, all designed as a modern, walkable community. Walker said this will expand housing opportunities for families like his.
“They have 2-bedroom apartments that’re right down the road, that’s $1,550, and it shouldn’t be that. There is not enough money in Lake Wales for the cost of living to be that high,” Walker said.
The Lake Wales Housing Authority secured $21 million in federal tax credits to help make the project possible. The Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency contributed $1 million toward the design phase, while Polk County added another $1.5 million.