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Board approves ARPA funding for affordable units at McMillan School, amid Inglewood objections
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved ARPA-funded affordable rental units at the former McMillan School and a package of supportive-service grants, after hours of public comment from Inglewood residents who said the community had not been adequately consulted.
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners approved county-managed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding on March 6 to convert portions of the shuttered McMillan School in Inglewood into affordable rental housing and to award supportive-services grants — a decision that drew lengthy public comment from neighborhood residents opposed to the project as described in news reports.
The board voted 5-0 to move forward with the awards after applicants and county staff explained project limits and reporting requirements. Commissioners said they expected community outreach and contractual safeguards as conditions of funding.
Why it matters: The McMillan site is school-board property long discussed as a redevelopment opportunity. Residents and neighborhood leaders told commissioners they learned about the plan through news coverage and asked the board to restrict uses, preserve community access and prioritize services for residents who already live nearby. County staff and the ARPA applicant said grant rules limit how funds may be used and that the awarded dollars must be spent on affordable housing units and eligible supportive services, not on emergency shelter or transitional programs.
The board’s decision and scope
Nanette Chandler, interim…
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