DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach County doesn’t have a lot of affordable homes for people who work there. But one project in Delray Beach gives people hope that more projects with reasonable living costs could be on the way.
The cheapest of the 20 single-family homes that were sold in Carver Square was $160,000. There were so many people who wanted to live in the homes that the winners had to be picked at random out of a hat.
“We were required to hold a lottery. According to Brent Baker, the Division President at Pulte Homes, “we had approximately 60 buyers that were interested and also met the income requirements of the county through the workforce housing program, so we had to draw 20 names out of a hat because we had too many people interested in the program because we had too many people interested in the program.”
Ten years ago, the City of Delray Beach bought the land and tore down the homes on it to get it ready for a builder. Because of this, it became appealing to a lot of coders. After a request for proposals (RFP) process, Pulte Homes was chosen in the end in 2020.
They built the single-family houses near Carver Square Park in Delray Beach. These homes cost between $160,000 and $300,000.
Mayor Shelly Petrolia said, “This is very cheap. You can’t find anything else in the City of Delray Beach for this price.” “I’m telling you, it’s off the charts, especially when you’re talking about how big these brand-new houses are.”
Realtor.com says that the average price of a home for sale in the city is $347,500.
Genese Souveran and her family moved into a house in Carver Square that was 1,400 square feet and had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. She says that the price tag left her speechless.
“Mind-blowing. Souveran told CBS12 News, “We didn’t believe it until we signed the closing paper. Then we were like, ‘Okay, this is really the price of the house.'”
Even though there is still a problem with not having enough cheap homes for workers, local leaders think this is a good start.
Adam Frankel, Chairman of the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, said, “The 20 homes sold very quickly, so it’s clear that there was a market.”
