Mobile Breaks Ground On Affordable Housing Development

City of Mobile leaders and community stakeholders recently gathered for a groundbreaking at Fred Marshall Court—a new 50-unit multifamily affordable housing development in District 1 named in honor of a longtime local educator. Being developed through a collaboration between Figures Construction and Development and the Hollyhand Cos., this $22-million investment is one of four projects in Mobile that received funding through the Alabama Housing Finance Authority (AHFA) in 2025. The City of Mobile is also contributing $10.5 million from federal disaster recovery allocations received through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). The construction of Fred Marshall Court will include the demolition of the former St. Mary’s Orphanage, a long-blighted structure on the property. It will be replaced with 50 affordable, townhouse-style residences that will serve low- to moderate-income families. The City of Mobile’s Neighborhood Development Department worked with Figures and Hollyhand to secure funding for this project through ADECA and AHFA. These new townhouses are being named in honor of Fred Marshall, a longtime principal at LeFlore Magnet High School and former assistant superintendent for the Mobile County Public School System. He passed away in 2019.