Rocky Mount cuts ribbon for new affordable housing development downtown

The Five Points Crossing is located on Rose Street and includes 50 new affordable units for people who earn up to 60% of the area's median income, or around $30,000 or less.

Delois Nettles was one of the first people to move into the building. She said she has been on the housing hunt for months.

"I've been looking at houses. I just could not afford them," Nettles said.

She is filled with pride as she shows off her new two-bedroom unit.

"I never could imagine I would be in a brand new place like this," she said.

This building is a $9.5 million project between builder Woda Cooper and the city, partly funded by grants and low-income housing tax credits through the NC Housing Finance Agency.

Senior Vice President of Woda Cooper Denis Blackburne said many developments in eastern North Carolina fill up quickly.

"There is such a demand these days for quality affordable housing in a rental market like this," he said.

To live at the property, rent for a one-bedroom can be as low as $500 a month.

City officials said projects like this are a priority. The city has added 185 affordable housing units in the last six years, but the mayor says more is needed.

"We are having a lot of these conversations as a city ... trying to understand how to get a dilapidated housing back on the marketplace and find new building areas within the city," Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson said.

The city is currently taking steps to quantify the need for affordable housing.

It is working on a dashboard that will track the current needs. The hope is that it will help them determine what action needs to be taken to meet the affordable housing goals.

The mayor's goal is to have 500 downtown apartments by 2026. He hopes many of those can be affordable.

Five Points Crossing is a small step toward that goal. For some people moving in, it is life-changing.

"It's essential, especially for people like me," Nettles said.