Hispanic-only housing opens: Morrison apartment complex caters to nursery workers
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The complex, called Beacon Light Apartments, features 24 units that are either two- or three-bedroom apartments. Of the 24 apartments, 14 are already rented.
?We realize this is the Nursery Capital of the World and that?s the families this will be serving,? said Upper Cumberland Development District executive director Wendy Askins.
Outside the apartment complex, bikes and children?s toys fill the yard. Apartment complex manager Veronica Flores says it?s already shaping up as a nice neighborhood.
?People drive slow when they see children are playing,? said Flores, who lives in one of the apartments with her husband and two children.
Monthly rent is based on income. According to Flores, the least a family can pay is $150 for a two-bedroom apartment, up to a maximum of $450 for a three-bedroom apartment.
According to information provided by USDA, total sales of agricultural goods in Warren County has reached $94 million annually. Of that amount, $78 million is generated by the 512 farms that grow nursery products.
The goal of Beacon Light Apartments is to fill the shortage of safe, clean and affordable housing for the Hispanic nursery workers who live and work here year-round.
?Through this investment in Beacon Light Apartments, Rural Development and our partners are putting your tax dollars to work to fill a critical need and keep Warren County?s economic engine, the nursery industry, growing,? said USDA Rural Development state director Ruth Tackett. ?This is a first for us in Tennessee, but it won?t be our last.?
The $1.5 million project was funded in part by a $217,143 grant from Rural Development and a $145,500 grant from Federal Home Loan Bank. Warren County government funds were not used in this project.
?These are beautiful homes and they are going to make an impact,? said state Sen. Jerry Cooper.