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City will provide in-kind assistance

The Andalusia City Council this week approved an agreement with a developer to renovate and/or build workforce housing in Andalusia.

City Clerk John Thompson said the developer, Hila Gatewood, already owns several homes that will be part of the project. Some will be renovated, while others will be replaced with new construction designed to blend in older neighborhoods. Some will be sold and others will be rented.

All of the properties will be part of a neighborhood association that sets standards for landscaping and maintenance, he said.

Under the terms of the agreement, the city will provide some in-kind assistance for the project.

The developer plans to do the housing project in several phases, but will begin on Church Street, Thompson said.

“We have tried for some time to find a developer willing to help us improve housing in some of our older neighborhoods,” Mayor Earl Johnson said. “When the developer approached us, she had the same vision. We are pleased to have her as an additional partner in progress for our city.”