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70-unit apartment site will feature tiered rent structure

 

COLUMBUS—Construction is underway on the Jasmine Apartments in Columbus. 

Located at 90 Unity Ln. in Columbus, the complex is owned and being developed by Workforce Homestead and built by Parker General Contractors. 

Formed in 2009, Workforce Homestead is a company specializing in developing affordable housing from Massachusetts to North Carolina, focusing particularly on multi-family housing. Workforce Homestead President Jim Yamin has been focusing more on the western part of North Carolina recently, addressing a more pressing need for affordable housing in the area. Yamin’s first efforts to develop the site go back to 2018. 

Construction began this past April, with 70 apartment units being spread across three buildings consisting of three stories each. Currently in the wood framing stage for the first building, Yamin judges the project at 26% complete.

The housing will offer one, two and three-bedroom units, and will have a tiered rent structure that will be adjusted according to four different income levels. Rent will be based on whether the tenant’s income is 40, 50, 60 or 80 percent of the median county income. 

“It’s like most other multi-family affordable housing in the US,” explained Yamin. “Using an income-based tiered structure, they’re limited to remain affordable for houses earning different income levels.”

One-bedroom apartments will range from $435 to $930 per month, two-bedroom apartments will range from $530 to $1,120 per month and three-bedroom apartments will range from $610 to $1,300 per month.

The estate will feature a standalone community building, which will contain space for property and maintenance managers. The building will also include a computer center, fitness center and washers and dryers, as well as a multipurpose community room. Each unit will also contain its own washer and dryer hookups. 

There will also be a playground with benches placed throughout the site.

Workforce Homestead will be hosting a frame-raising ceremony at the site on Friday, August 25, where participants will help raise a frame panel that will be included in the general construction. Yamin describes the ceremony as more interactive than a traditional groundbreaking, saying it’s “to mark the fact that we are underway, things are rolling, and we want to celebrate that fact.”

Completion of the project is slated for September 2024.