DELRAY BEACH, FL-Locally based Auburn Group is developing Villages at Delray, a $200-million redevelopment plan for the southwest section of the city that will bring 1,000 residential units, half of which will be affordable or work force housing.

The project, which also includes 33,000 sf of commercial space, will rise on 56 acres bounded to the south by SW 10th Street, to the north by Atlantic Avenue, to the east by Auburn Avenue (SW 12th Street) and to the west by SW 7th Avenue. The project incorporates the Carver Estates public housing project, run by the Delray Beach Housing Authority, which was severely damaged during Hurricane Wilma. The now-vacant housing complex will de demolished as part of the redevelopment plan, Auburn Group vice president Cito Beguiristain tells GlobeSt.com.

Of the 1,000 residential units to be constructed, 47% will be affordable or work force housing. Of those units, 200 will be for sale and 264 will be rentals. The remaining units will be for-sale units. The units will be included in a mix of two- and three-story buildings, Beguiristain says. "Our goal is to create a mix of housing units at different levels of affordability," he says.

The commercial space, a mix of retail and office space, will be built to complement the residential component and will include neighborhood-type uses such as a pharmacy or small grocery store. The development will also include a day care facility, a 6,500-sf clubhouse with a large generator and a trolley stop to accommodate Delray Beach's plan to begin trolley service, Beguiristain says.

The project is part of a broader redevelopment plan for the area, which has been historically blighted. Across from the development is land that has been used for already-constructed or planned community amenities such as the Village Academy Elementary and Middle schools, which have been completed, and the Village High School, which is under construction. When completed, the site will also contain a community center, Boys and Girls Club, a Head Start facility and Cathrine Strong Park.

Beguiristain says Auburn Group will submit site plans for the project to the city in December with plans to begin construction eight months from then. "Our goal is to create a community where people can live, work and play," he says.

Other projects that Auburn Group has completed include Auburn Trace and Groves of Delray in Delray Beach, Boynton Bay in Boynton Beach and Walden Pond in Miami.