Yes for housing options

Published 8:10 pm Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Members of the Farmville community can expect discussions and decisions made by the Farmville Planning Commission and Farmville Town Council over the next several weeks in relation to a proposed 52-unit apartment project on approximately 6 acres of land, zoned Residential-3, in the area of Vernon Street.

The project would be adjacent to the existing Parkview Gardens apartment community, which has 80 multi-family units.

The proposed apartments would be built to look like townhouses with three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

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“I really haven’t had any problems renting the units that I have now,” Applicant Fred Pearson said in a recent interview about the existing housing units he owns. “It shows that there is a demand for it.”

Pearson said the units would be built overtime, approximately one to two buildings containing four apartment each year. Depending on whether or not the units sell, he said the number of buildings construction per year could rise from one to two.

Farmville has a sizable population of varying demographic, ranging from the elderly, to students of Longwood University and Hampden-Sydney College, to young professionals and families.

Affordable and functional housing, particularly apartment and townhouse units, can be difficult to come by. This is especially the case when it comes to students and the elderly.

That being said, it’s important that the community has opportunities to speak regarding this project, and that all sides are considered before a decision is put into place.

We at The Herald approve of the project and the potential for additional housing options in the area, as long as concerns and questions, particularly from those who live closest to the proposed project, are addressed; and the price of the proposed housing that’s installed is reasonable and offers opportunities for families, elderly and young people to find homes.