By Allen Turner, The News Reporter
A large contingent of elected officials from the state level on down to town commissioner participated in ribbon-cutting ceremonies Thursday for River Bluff Pointe, a $5 million, 31-unit apartment complex built in hopes of restoring housing for Fair Bluff residents displaced after flooding from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018.
Although the complex is owned by the Town of Fair Bluff, it has been developed by the Lumber River Council of Governments (COG) and will be managed by a property management company. COG Executive Director David Richardson conducted the ribbon-cutting ceremony and heaped praise on Rep. Brenden Jones, R-Columbus, San. Danny Britt, R-Robeson, and Fair Bluff native Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, for obtaining state funding for the apartments to be built.
Whether the apartments will do much to restore Fair Bluff’s population remains to be seen. The apartments are not subsidized, which means no rental assistance will be available, according to Fair Bluff Mayor Billy Hammond. Rentals for a one-bedroom unit start in the $600 a month range and move to the $700 range for a two-bedroom unit.
The apartment complex consists of two one-bedroom units, 24 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom units.
In addition to Jones and Hammond, officials taking part in the ribbon-cutting included Columbus County Commissioners Jerome McMillian, Ricky Bullard and Brent Watts, Fair Bluff Commissioners Clarice Faison, Lester Drew and Ralph McCoy, Fair Bluff Town Clerk Peggy Moore and Police Chief Chris Chafin.
A large contingent of elected officials from the state legislature to the town board participated in ribbon-cutting ceremonies Thursday at River Bluff Pointe, a $5 million apartment complex built in hopes of restoring housing for a significant number of residents displaced by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.