POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County has seen a lot of growth in the last few years, but the recent real estate boom changed the way some city managers are handling their resources.

“We know that we want and need a mix of housing types here in Lake Wales,” said Lake Wales City Manager James Slayton. “We have an influx of single family residentials coming in. We also want the multi-family so we have something to provide for everyone.”

The city was recently approved for a $750,000 community block grant, through the Housing and Urban Development program, to address low income communities, like the Northwest community.

“Redevelopment takes time,” said Darrell Starling, the project manager. “We have a lot of plans for this community.”

Darrell Starling is a project manager for Lake Wales development, specifically the Northwest community. Within the last year, he and his team spearheaded new housing projects, including the option to rebuild, community beautification and events to promote local businesses.

“We partner with a couple entities,” said Starling. “The first is the Keystone challenge fund. They’re a community development housing organization for our county. We also partner with Green and Gold Foundation, the city of Lake Wales and the Lake Wales CRA.”

Other Lake Wales initiatives include the possible rebuild or demolition of Green Gables Inn to replace with apartments.

This was first mentioned in a Lake Wales city commission meeting. The location, less than 10 minutes from Bok Towers Garden, opened for business in 1959.

The 50-room hotel may soon be replaced with 225 apartment units.

“There [is an] increasing interest in Florida. The property values are also increasing which makes home affordability more challenging,” said Slayton. “We want to also make sure our roads get repaved, our storm water systems and utility systems are enhanced.”

The proposed redevelopment plan is stretched through a 20-year process that city leaders say they aspire to finish in 10.