New townhome development in Warner Robins aims to expand home ownership opportunities in the city

WARNER ROBINS – The city of Warner Robins hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new townhome development on Wednesday, Sept.10. The townhomes will be located on Airman Boulevard and strive to give citizens the “American Dream.”

The townhomes will be located near 900 Armed Forces Boulevard behind Gateway Pointe, another apartment complex. It is also a short distance from Robins Air Force Base.

The project comes from a $1.5 million Community Home Investment Program grant awarded by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Mayor LaRhonda Patrick said 100% of the grant went towards the development, which will consist of eight homes.

Patrick shared they are expanding home ownership opportunities to individuals, which is important to her and councilmembers. These homes will be designed for people to own.

“This project is creating new pathways for home ownership for low to moderate income residents,” she said.

According to Patrick, the average cost of monthly rent for an apartment is approximately $1,100. She shared it is more than the monthly mortgage she pays for the home she owns. The houses will be geared towards the city’s workforce population. For example, individuals who work in the city’s workforce like the police department, firemen, teachers, hospital employees and city government employees. Patrick said most of those employees are not able to buy a house. However, with the eight new townhouses, she hopes it will open the door to the “American Dream.” 

“[It is for] individuals who are working, trying to make a better life for themselves so they cannot just be stuck with paying rent for the rest of their lives. They can pay a mortgage and have something to pass on from generation to generation,” she said. 

Patrick shared she is excited about the project and the city being granted the opportunity by the state’s Department of Community Affairs.

“I look forward to more opportunities you can have to really pave the way for other people who want to have their share of a home in our city,” she said. 

The project is part of Phase Two of a plan developed by the previous Mayor and Council in 2017, designed to build and revitalize the area. Patrick said she is thankful the CHIP grant was given during her term and was able to see the project through to fruition. 

Deep South Construction, a company based in Bonaire, will oversee the project. The company’s owner, Michael Ware, shared a lot of cities in Georgia do not take advantage of the CHIP grant and appreciates the city for investing in housing. 

Ware is proud of the “Build Local” initiative and said it is important to the community. The company is comprised of local contractors and ensures the use of local vendors. 

“We’re very proud of that. We’re very proud to keep our dollars here in the city of Warner Robins [and] Houston County. We’re looking forward to building these [homes] for future residents that may not be able to afford home ownership,” he said. “We take a lot of pride in it, and we’re extremely excited to see the finished product in future months ahead.”

Ware hopes the project will be completed by the end of this year. 

He said the construction industry is competitive. Companies throughout the nation come to areas like central Georgia to build new homes or businesses. However, Ware said, when an out-of-town company comes to the area, they do not utilize local subcontractors. This leads to those companies taking jobs and not employing locals. 

“Build Local was an initiative to keep our dollars here. For people that’s coming from out of the city [and] out of the county to buy here. For realtors, we ask [them to] point local, come local, bring the business back here locally so that we can support our families and support the community,” he said. 

The company has worked with nearby cities, including Gray, Fort Valley, Perry, Cochran, and Griffin. These cities have taken advantage of the CHIP grant and the construction company has helped tackle their projects. When the city of Warner Robins reached out to them, Ware said it was natural for them to take on the development. 

He also believes these homes will be beneficial to the community. 

“This is the easiest path to home ownership. If you ever thought about affording a home, this is the path that you would like to take,” he said.

Patrick believes in supporting local businesses and local builders, which she said is even more crucial now. She and councilmembers will continue to push individuals from the city or middle Georgia to be involved in their projects.

“To know that Deep South Construction utilized this initiative and only hired local contractors to do this work, it really does mean a lot. There were even a couple of the subcontractors that sit behind us that I actually knew,” she said. “That’s how awesome it is to stand behind an initiative like Build Local and I encourage others to do the same.” 

Although it will be only eight homes, it is just the beginning of expanding home ownership, Patrick mentioned 

“In the city of Warner Robins, we believe if you have a dream, we can give it wings. Let’s take flight and see where the next development takes us,” she said.