Landscapers Wednesday morning were putting the final touches on shrubs and flower beds at Park Manor Apartments as local officials, chamber of commerce members and others gathered inside a community room.
“This particular property has not been the prettiest place in Orange,” said City of Orange Housing Authority Board President Mike Combs.
Previously, the Pine Grove apartments stood at the site. The 1940s complex was damaged after two hurricanes and left vacant. Now, the housing authority has built the new Park Manor affordable housing. The group gathered for the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony with the chamber.
“I am convinced there was some divine intervention in this property happening,” Combs said.
The housing authority used a variety of funding, including federal hurricane recover money through the Texas General Land Office, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and even Warren Buffet’s Berkshire-Hathaway. Buffet has committed to helping affordable housing. A representative from Berkshire-Hathaway attended the celebration.
Combs praised the late Ike Akbari, the founder of ITEX group, which has worked with the housing authority for years. Combs described him as “a visionary, an honest and caring man and he has passed that onto his son.” Chris Akbari, the son, spoke of the cooperation on the project.
Housing Authority Executive Director LaNita Brown said next Friday is target date for tenants to start moving into the new apartments. The apartments will allow tenants through three different programs. One is the traditional federal housing under HUD. Those tenants will be chosen from the housing authority’s waiting list. The other program is like the Section 8 voucher system, and finally affordable housing for people earning a percentage of the federal poverty level set for the region.
Mike Combs, chair of the housing authority board, and Orange Housing Authority Executive Director Lanita Brown in the kitchen of a new apartment.
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