Macon‑Bibb to fund three Habitat homes with $325,703 in HOME funds for Lynn Moore Estates and Napier Heights

The commission authorized the mayor to execute an independent contract agreement with Macon Area Habitat for Humanity under the HOME Investment Partnership Program for $325,703 to fund construction of three new single‑family homes. Ivy Hall, executive director of Macon Area Habitat for Humanity, told commissioners that site selection reflected neighborhood need and that many lots were previously blighted or tax‑delinquent and subsequently returned to productive use.

Hall said the program has worked in Lynn Moore Estates for 20 years and that Habitat has helped increase the homeownership rate in that neighborhood from roughly 20% to over 60% with more than 70 homes built there over time. For the new funding, she said one home will be in Lynn Moore Estates and two will be in Napier Heights; the organization has also partnered with local foundations and used ARPA funds on prior projects.

Why it matters: the contract uses federal HOME funds passed through the county to a local nonprofit to build affordable ownership housing on previously blighted parcels; commissioners framed the project as neighborhood revitalization and tax‑roll restoration.

Commissioners discussed site selection and neighborhood impact; Hall explained that board‑level planning and blight remediation work shaped the choices. The commission approved the agreement and sent the item to the consent agenda.

Ending: The mayor and commissioners praised the long‑term partnership with Habitat and the local housing impacts; staff will execute the contract and the organization will proceed with construction and veteran/rotary partnerships noted in public remarks.