PINE HILLS, Fla. \u2013 With sky-high housing costs in Central Florida, local leaders are trying to create some relief when it comes to housing.<\/p>\n
They just cut the ribbon on phase three of Emerald Villas – an affordable apartment complex in Pine Hills.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s called \u201caffordable,\u201d the feel is anything but basic.<\/p>\n
Leaders like Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings say it\u2019s housing with amenities built for people who\u2019ve been priced out of the market.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese people have that opportunity today; some are low-income, some are very low-income persons, but they deserve to have quality housing just like everyone else,\u201d said the mayor.<\/p>\n
This property also comes with a past. Demings says years ago, when he worked in law enforcement, this was a place he stopped at often for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n
But, after a three-phase redevelopment, he claims the site has been transformed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been a complete transition,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have families living here, we have seniors living here and then we have other persons living here. As a result of that, these units are very affordable for people to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phase three adds 90 units aimed at households making 50% to 80% of the area median income.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlorida continues to face some of the worst housing crisis and rising costs in the country, which is why investing in quality affordable housing is more important now than ever,\u201d said U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando.<\/p>\n
Demings says Emerald Villas is part of a broader push to redevelop Pine Hills.<\/p>\n
More projects are on the way. <\/p>\n