HUD officials visit Laurel to tour new affordable housing projects

Last Monday, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Manager Joe DeFelice and his staff visited Laurel to tour the new affordable home construction projects in town.

First, the group met with town and county representatives at the Laurel Redevelopment Corporation (LRC) to discuss what’s going on in Laurel.

LRC Executive Director Brian Shannon said his organization was inspired to offer affordable housing by Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. The organization partnered with Habitat for Humanity on a pair of grants before branching out on its own.

Representatives from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) visited Laurel on Monday to tour the new affordable home construction sites in town. 

LRC purchased the property on South Central Avenue where the former Christ United Methodist Church was located. In addition to offering affordable housing, the group wanted to build homes that reflected the town’s history and character. Two of those homes have gone to settlement.

LRC is partnering with Nally Ventures on another project that will include 28 starter homes in downtown Laurel. The 1,300-square-foot duplex homes will be priced at the average median income level.

“We feel it’s going to be a successful project,” Shannon said of the project, which recently broke ground.

Laurel Town Manager Jamie Smith said that the town is hopeful these projects will allow more residents to own homes The town’s rental rate is currently 48 percent.

Smith said there are 46 units planned on South Central Avenue, near Laurel High School, that have received preliminary approval from the town. Groundbreaking is expected to take place next fall.

A project on Discountland that is planned for 250 homes, mostly single-family with some townhouses, is in the planning stages. There may also be some commercial pad sites at the front of the property.

The group also discussed Tidewater Park which received funding through Senator Coons and HUD. All but $200,000 of the $1.6 million project was grant-funded.

Smith and Shannon also said housing rehab was done in town by Habitat for Humanity and Milford Housing Development, including over 20 Habitat homes.

“Everybody’s working together for the same goal,” said Smith.

“It’s really exciting to see what you all have done here. You can see it, it’s a big difference,” HUD Delaware Field Office Director Maria Bynum said.