Off Independence Boulevard in Morganton, work is underway to bring more affordable housing to Burke County.
Bobby Funk, development director for Mills Construction, said the company plans to build Riverbend Apartments on about 13 acres near Sheetz gas station. The complex will have 66 units, with 12 one-bedroom, 36 two-bedroom and 18 three-bedroom apartments, Funk said. Mills Construction is based in Raleigh.
Grading work was underway in February at the site of what will be Riverbend Apartments off Independence Boulevard in Â鶹´«Ã½.
The complex will have five three-story buildings with 12 units in each building, except one building that will have 18 units, Funk said. He said the complex will have ADA-accessible units.
The foundations have been poured and some framing is up on the site. Funk said he expects the apartments will be done this year. Mills Construction started grading at the site in February.
The complex will have a leasing office and community center building that will have a laundry center, computer center and a room for meetings or birthday parties, Funk said. The complex also will have a playground, sidewalks throughout, picnic areas and outdoor seating.
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This photo, supplied by Mills Construction, is of an apartment building similar to the apartments the company plans to build off Independence Boulevard in Â鶹´«Ã½. Grading is done at the site and the company plans to have the apartments ready to rent by the end of the year.
Each apartment has washer/dryer hookups but a washer and dryer are not included in the units. Appliances such as a refrigerator and stove will be included, he said.
“We believe that there’s a significant need for new, affordable housing in Morganton,†Funk said. “We’ve been looking at developing this property for a couple years here, and we’re excited to finally get this built, especially considering the housing impacts from the recent flooding that came to Burke County and even throughout the western North Carolina region. We think this is going to be a much-needed new influx of new housing in the community.â€
The project is funded through the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, so the apartments will be income-restricted, Funk said. That means there will be a number of units that will be restricted to families who earn no more than 60% of area median income, Funk said. Some sections will be for families who earn up to 50% of area median income, and the remainder will be for families who earn up to 40% of area median income, Funk said.
This rendering, supplied by Mills Construction, show what the apartments will look like that the company plans to build off Independence Boulevard in Â鶹´«Ã½.
The income limit for a family of four making 60% of the yearly area median income is $46,816. For a family of four earning 40% of the area median income the limit would be $31,000. A single person making 60% of the yearly area median income would have a limit just under $33,000, and for a single person making 40% of the area median income, the limit would be just under $22,000, Funk said.
The entrance for the apartment complex is on the west side of Independence Boulevard, south of the bridge crossing the Catawba River. The complex will share a driveway with Sheetz convenience store, Funk said.
Funk said there is a portion of the property that is in a flood plain, but the buildings will be above any flood plain area.
“And after the flooding, we were actually able to go and check elevations of where the flooding (Hurricane Helene) got to and our built elevations will be significantly above any of that,†Funk said. “So I can’t say that it will never flood, but to my knowledge, we’ve never experienced flooding like Helene did in the area all along the Catawba River Basin. So we’re hopeful that the elevations that we’re building to will (never) have any meaningful issues for flooding.â€
Funk said construction started at the end of 2024, and the project is expected to be completed, with units available to lease, by the end of the year.
