Five Georgia communities will receive $10.3 million for infrastructure projects to support more than 300 housing units, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Thursday.

The state Department of Community Affairs will distribute the funds as the fourth round of grants through Kemp’s Rural Workforce Housing Initiative, which the governor announced last year during his annual State of the State address to the General Assembly.

“We’ve already seen incredible results from our Rural Workforce Housing grants helping Georgians live where they work,” Kemp said. “This latest round of investments will further that impact in rural Georgia as our state sees even more historic opportunity and record economic development.”

The largest of the new grants – $2.5 million – will go to the city of Gainesville to improve drainage in conjunction with two residential construction projects. The Gainesville Nonprofit Development Foundation plans to build 17 to 23 single family homes, while the Norton Agency will construct 66 rental housing units.

The rest of the grants will go to communities in South Georgia. The city of Blackshear will receive $2.45 million to build water, sewer, street, and drainage improvements needed for 43 new homes in the Pinehurst Village development.

The Development Authority of Bulloch County will get $2.44 million for road and drainage improvements associated with 79 new single-family homes at the 78-acre Cornerstone Point development.

The city of Reidsville will receive $1.65 million for water, road, drainage, and sewer improvements needed to support 37 new single-family homes at the 14-acre Pine Ridge Subdivision.

The city of Sylvester will be awarded $1.32 million for water, road, drainage, and sewer improvements to support the completion of the 47-acre Quail Pines Subdivision. The developer is planning to build 20 to 64 new homes in two phases.

In each case, the local governments are contributing to the projects.

Capitol Beat is a nonprofit news service operated by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Georgia. For more information visit capitol-beat.org.