MARION — A celebration Friday in Marion marked the start of construction on several new homes in the Pleasant Acres subdivision.

Mayor Larry Gill the new homes will not only provide quality housing for families but also bring new revenue for the city.

“There’s only two ways to increase revenue for a municipality,” he said. “That’s either by building more homes or businesses or raising taxes. You’ve got two options. We’re so glad that investors and developers thought enough of Marion to want to invest their money, time and energy to help us grow.”

And with a shortage of homes in the real estate market, Gill said the homes will help meet a need in the community.

Gill said it was exciting to see Marion grow and welcome new families to the community. With 45 months left in his term, he said he hoped Friday’s ribbon cutting would be just one of many the town would celebrate while he was in office.

Builder Chuck Butler, who is leading the construction efforts, said the new construction will result in ten single family homes, one of which has already been sold.

“They’ll mostly be 3,4 bedroom,” he said.

Construction crews, which have already started work, will work on two homes at a time, Butler said. It will take about four months to complete a home, with the second following a week or two behind. After completing each pair, he said work will begin on the next two homes.

Although ten lots were purchased initially, Butler didn’t rule out further development once those homes are complete.

“We’ll see how it goes,” he said.

Lauderdale County Ward 3 Supervisor Wayman Newell said the new homes are a great thing for both Marion and Lauderdale County. He said Gill, who is less than a year into his term, deserves a lot of credit for bringing the development to his town so quickly after gaining office.

“Today is a great day for Lauderdale County, and it’s an even better day for Marion, Mississippi,” he said. “The new mayor, Mr. Gill, got elected not even a year ago, and here we are making great strides moving Marion forward and Lauderdale County.”

Newell said he was excited to see the development come together and looked forward to seeing it grow even more in the future.