WATERVILLE — When the Kennebec County commissioners allocated nearly $24 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, they opted to include affordable housing across the county.

Manor Gardens is among more than four dozen projects that commissioners, who have toured the projects they have supported, allocated funding to. Commissioners received more than $47 million in funding requests for the $23.7 million that was allocated to Kennebec County. Affordable housing was one of the priorities they identified. Funding allocations also supported the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kennebec County, the Children’s Center of Augusta and the Kennebec Valley YMCA; improvements and repairs to Kennebec County facilities; and infrastructure projects throughout the county, among other things.

“I think it’s going to be a big step forward, especially the affordable units. They’re really nice places. It’s already filled up,” said George Jabar, District 3 commissioner who toured the project Friday with colleagues.

Using ARPA funds guaranteed a certain number of the units in the development would by affordable and available, Jabar said.

Manor Gardens, on College Avenue, is one of several projects under development in Waterville that’s anticipated to add scores of housing units in Waterville starting this year.

Morning Sentinel photojournalist Anna Chadwick contributed to this report.