ORLANDO, Fla. — Two affordable housing projects are moving forward in Orange County. 

County commissioners approved more than $20 million that will go to both plans.

The board approved up to $13.5 million in Housing Revenue Tax-Exempt bonds to purchase and restore the existing 104-unit building at Silver Lakes Villages off of Cinderella Parkway. The complex will offer housing for low-income seniors ages 62 and older.

“We need more people to come and invest (in) finding builders who are in it for the people and not for the profit. Obviously, you have to make some type of profit, but being intentional, knowing they want to afford affordable housing, attainable housing, workforce housing — beyond just saying, 'Hey, this looks like a place we can build something and make a buck,'” said Commissioner Michael Scott, District 6.

The county’s second project approved funds of $9.3 million of Affordable Housing Trust Fund and American Rescue Plan Funds for Barnett Villas, a 156-unit, affordable rental housing complex to be built near Barnett Park. It is anticipated to be completed by October 2024.

“When you drive on a road that’s unpaved, it’s a little bit bumpy, but if the road is paved, it’s smoother to get to where you got to go,” said Scott. “Housing is that. How can I talk about going to work, getting my kids to school, getting a good-paying job if I don’t have a place to lay my head at night that I can call for me and my family? For me, it’s a foundation. It lays the foundation for people to find a place to stay.”

Both projects are a part of the county’s Housing For All Task Force that was convened in 2019 to provide practical and long-term solutions to the affordable housing crisis.

There is no official timeline of completion set for the Silver Lakes Village Apartments project at this time.