LAKELAND, Fla. — Lakeland’s Community Redevelopment Agency held an open house Saturday to showcase the new homes being built in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, located at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and W. 7th street.

More than a hundred people attended the open house, including many of the people waiting on their homes to be built.

“When I opened that front door I just fell in love. I’m like I want to move in now,” said Crystal Davis, one of the people who signed a contract to build a home in the neighborhood. 

The Community Redevelopment Agency bought the property in 2011 and demolished apartments that were there and determined to be crime ridden. 

Twenty-one homes are scheduled to be built on the property. Four of them are completed. The project has four phases in all. 

The community redevelopment agency sold the homes to homeowners for $129,000 a piece, according to Lakeland CRA Manager Alis Drumgo. The CRA also offered down-payment assistance, in an effort to make the homes affordable. One of the stipulations of the offer is the homeowner has to live in the home for ten years. 

“We’ve presold them before we broke ground and we’ve got a waiting list of people who are willing to jump into position if anyone backs out,” said Alis Drumgo. 

According to the contract between the CRA and Rodda Construction, Rodda agreed to build the last 17 homes for  $246,000 to $253,000 a piece, totaling $4.26 million in all.  The city commission approved the contract in August with a 4-3 vote. 

NuJak Development Inc. built the four homes in the first phase but due to rising construction prices, both parties mutually agreed to end the contract after the first phase.