PELL CITY Officials broke ground on the future of senior housing Monday in the form an apartment complex to be completed next year.The apartments will be located on the site of the Avondale ballfields near the walking track on Cogswell Avenue.
The single-story apartment community will have 56 units, with a mix of one and two bedroom units, said Bill Miller of Housing Investors Inc.
One bedroom apartments will have about 735 square feet, while the two bedroom floor plan will have about 1,033 square feet of living space, Miller said.
Miller said his company will manage the units, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2004.
Amesbury Associates, a subsidiary of Housing Investors Inc., will own the complex, Miller said.
In addition to the apartments, there will be a club house and meeting room and all apartments will have washer and dryer hook-ups, he said.
As important will be convenience for seniors who choose to rent the apartments.
"It's a great area for senior housing," Miller said. "And with funding from the Alabama Housing Finance Authority, the apartments will be very affordable."
With financing through the state agency, which was formed in 1980 by state lawmakers to improve the quality of affordable housing, Miller said the company's cost to build is much less, making it easier to offer affordable rent rates.
The apartment complex will not be an assisted living facility, but the apartments will be designed for senior citizens who can care for themselves but need affordable housing, Miller said.
"They are designed for someone on a fixed income," Miller said. "There are no direct subsidies to the people who rent, but the debt for the project is not very high, so we can keep the rent down."
The apartments are a step in the right direction for housing in Pell City, but also another step Avondale Mills has taken to make the city a better place to live, Mayor Guin Robinson said.
Avondale Mills sold the property, which has been home to the ballfields for years, to Amesbury Associates for the project.
"I am excited, because for a long time senior housing has been an important need for the city," Robinson said. "This will bring a solution to that need to fruition. Avondale Mills has been generous year after year and without them, the kids would not have had a place to play ball. They also donated the land for the senior center."
While the official groundbreaking was Monday, Miller said he expects construction to begin in early 2004.
