Knight, Macon-Bibb announce ‘transformational’ $3.2 million for affordable housing
Finding a nice, affordable place to live in Macon is not always easy, and its a challenge made more difficult by the pandemic and subsequent housing squeeze.
But the Knight Foundation, Historic Macon and county leaders want to change that.
Some $3.2 million — half of it from a Knight grant, the other half from Macon-Bibb County’s available American Rescue Plan Act money — will fund efforts to build new rental units and renovate existing ones in core Macon and the Beall’s Hill community.
- $2 million will go to NewTown Macon with the intention of funding local entrepreneurs. NewTown will train folks to build and rehabilitate investment properties in their neighborhoods, funding their work with a revolving loan program to help purchase and renovate 20 blighted properties in the county’s core communities. The homes will then be rented out at affordable rates to Maconites, according to a county press release.
- With the remaining $1.2 million, Historic Macon will build 12-to-16 “affordable rental units” in the Beall’s Hill community by next spring. NewTown’s President and CEO Josh Rogers said the goal is to meet housing demand and combat blight in the area as part of the Beall’s Hill Revitalization initiative begun more than 20 years ago. Money will also be used to create a rental housing fund for other neighborhoods.
The Knight grant was announced at a press conference on Monday, and the Macon-Bibb County commissioners approved the matching funds during Tuesday evening’s commission meeting.
“Knight supports inclusive, equitable, and engaged communities, so we are thrilled to invest in an initiative where neighborhood residents are so deeply involved in the creation of more affordable housing,” Lynn Murphey, Knight’s Macon program director, said Monday. “We have worked with both NewTown and Historic Macon and have seen the impact of their work in community.”
The $1.6 million allocation from the county represents a portion of the first round of American Rescue Plan Act money doled out by the federal government. The county plans to use that initial $18 million to address food deserts, blight, fund the Brookdale Warming Center and more. Macon could eventually receive around $74 million from the federal government under the American Rescue Plan.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make transformational change in people’s lives for years to come,” Mayor Lester Miller said. “This is work that is going to lift our entire community.”
The effort also reflects a shift in focus from NewTown Macon from downtown to neighboring communities.
“This is a pivotal moment in NewTown’s history, to be able to transition from the central business district to the attached neighborhoods and be able to make a difference,” Rogers said.
