Tucked away in the middle of Hinesville, a new affordable living community is underway.

Builders, developers and city leaders broke ground last week on the planned Wisteria Gardens, a 96-unit apartment complex off Fairhope Lane.

“I’m pumped for this project to get going,” said Matt Schaffer, president and chief operating officer of builder Varium Construction. “Everyone has been so helpful so far.”

While about a third of the units will be available at market rates, about twothirds of the apartments are reserved for affordable housing. The project is backed by the Searles Foundation, which also developed Live Oak Villas in Midway.

“It’s a beautiful property that we know is going to be top of class for what we do in affordable housing here in Georgia,” said Philip Searles, president of the Searles Foundation.

Not long before the groundbreaking, the area was saturated with several inches of rain. However, the site did not flood and there was no effect on neighboring properties. Neighbors expressed concerns about flooding, but builders and developers were heartened — in more ways than one — over how the site handled a large rainfall in a short time.

“Ten inches of rain in Atlanta, we’d be done for a month,” Schaffer said. “Here, there are machines moving right now.”

Searles praised the work of local firm T.R. Long Engineering, which handled the civil engineering for the site. He acknowledged drainage was a top concern of the tract’s neighbors.

“We had 10 inches of rain and no one complained,” he said. “We hope we’ve done our job. We want to be good neighbors.

Mayor Karl Riles also lauded the group for its efforts in working with the city to resolve issues, such as drainage, flooding and roads.

“We get a lot of people who want to do tax credit properties. But what we don’t get is someone who comes in and says I want to meet with your neighbors and I will contribute to things. We just appreciate that partnership.”

Varium officials and Searles expressed their gratitude for the city’s cooperation.

“It is such a breath of fresh air to work with a city that is this involved and makes it easier to get along with,” Schaffer said. “This process is how it should be. Our mission as a company is we build relationships with teamwork and ownership. We take pride in what we do to build a quality product for the residents who will eventually live here.”

“This has been such an amazing city to work with,” Searles added. “Everyone has been welcoming and accommodating.”

In addition to having larger units than what the Searles Foundation builds for its properties, the location also is a big plus for the residents.

“It’s a beautiful property that we know is going to be top of class for what we do in affordable housing here in Georgia,” Searles said.

Having Diversity Health Center right next door is another benefit for the Wisteria Gardens residents, Searles pointed out.

“You can’t ask for a better location,” he said. “We have a great health care provider for our target population.”

Along with telehealth, the community will conduct outdoor cooking classes and Searles said the foundation will be a gold level sponsor for the annual Peanut Butter and Jelly drive.

“Food security is a big issue,” he said. “This is truly a community organization that has come together to help provide a better quality of life for the residents of Hinesville.”

Fences and Douglas firs will help dampen the sound and lights from the complex that neighboring houses might experience.

“Good fences make good neighbors,” Searles said. “We try to conscientious of the noise we make and the impact we have during construction. I’m a big believer of everybody loves growth until they move in. Our neighbors are just as important to us as future residents are. Our neighbors won’t be having headlights blaring into their back yards. We want our neighbors to feel welcome, but we want them to have their privacy.

“The way we look at is this is — if it affects you, it’s going to affect our people, too. If we have the ability to find a solution, we want to be a part of it.”

The Searles Foundation, which also is donating toward a second disc golf course at nearby Bryant Commons, also is investing in traffic improvements at the nearby intersection of Fraser Drive and Highway 84.

“We’ve loved this market,” Searles said. “Hinesville become a seat of southeast Georgia. You see the growth, you see the sense of community the city has. I travel across the state. I come here and they have festivals and there are people walking around. To have the opportunity to be a part of this community, it’s something we look forward to. We try to do something the entire community benefits from.”

Wisteria Gardens will have three three-story buildings, with 24 units and an office in one building and 36 units each in the other two buildings. There will be 24 one-bedroom units, 56 units with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and 17 units with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Together, the three three-story buildings will be about 124,000 square feet.

The development is set for an October 2027 opening, and Searles said he is looking forward to the second phase.

“This is such a great community,” he said. “The residents in Midway have shown us how amazing Liberty County is, how blessed this county is to have such functional and good leadership. It’s really not common. They’re concerned about the people who live here and providing a good quality of life.

“This is different, and I appreciate being a part of this community. There is a parable of when you have extra wood you either build higher fences or longer tables. This is the kind of community that builds longer tables.”