By By ROBBIE BYRD
News Editor
The Atmore City Council approved a recommendation by the city Planning Board to rezone property adjacent to the current Atmore Housing Authority Project on Bragg Street as multi family housing.
The rezoning now allows the city to move forward in hopes of building an additional housing complex adjacent to its current Bragg Street complex.
The motion to approve the recommendation passed unanimously, and the project will get underway. The first step, according to Mayor Howard Shell, will be for Florence based contractor Trustmark to apply for the federal grant to build the complex.
A large majority of adjacent landowners were in attendance for the recommendation to rezone the property from status R-1, which is a single house zone, to R-3 or multiple family homes. According to Shell, they were supportive of the motion.
The expansion, which would be constructed by Trustmark and funded in large part by a federal grant, would add 18 more units specifically tailored to handicapped and disabled residents next to the current Bragg Street complex.
The current Bragg Street complex sits adjacent to a narrow strip of property owned by Cecil Murphy of Atmore, and adjacent to that is a large empty field owned by the city. The city and Murphy have agreed to swap Murphy's ownership to the other side of the field so the entire complex is adjacent to the current housing authority complex.
Some residents at the last special hearing, held Jan. 28, expressed concern of the type of residents the housing program could bring in, but Monday's meeting lacked the debate of the last.
Currently, the housing authority oversees 68 public housing units, built in the 70s, for low and moderate income families and a voucher program that provides up to 70 percent in rent assistance for homes throughout the city.
Dorothy Hubbard, director of the housing authority, said the program could add much needed vacancies to the city's public housing program.
"We don't have a lot of vacancies or turnover (at our current complex)," Hubbard said. "I think it would increase the opportunity for needy to receive housing assistance."
In oter council business:
approved accounts payable;