DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A groundbreaking for more affordable housing in Delray Beach was held Thursday morning.
On SW 7th Avenue and SW 4th Street, people from different backgrounds came together to celebrate the future while honoring the past.
“It’s something we can do to help our community,” Mayor Shelly Petrolia said. “The very, very small things in life sometimes make the biggest difference.”
The plot of land will be the home of Corey Isle. Construction crews will build 10 single-family homes and a community carrying on the memory of Corey Jones.
When Jones was just 31 years old, he was shot and killed by a former Palm Beach Gardens police officer, who was later convicted of manslaughter.
“It will be a great legacy, part of his testimony and part of his life. He’s a giving person, and this is a great honor, and it means a lot to the family,” Clinton Jones said.
Delray Beach Community Land Trust is partnering with the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency to build the three- and four-bedroom homes.
“We take the costs of the land out of the factor,” said Evelyn Dobson, the executive director of the Delray Beach Community Land Trust.
The workforce housing will start at $235,000. There are also grants available to help buyers with their down payment.
“The need is there, and it’s been there,” architect Gary Eliopoulos said.