A second public hearing this week for proposed low-income housing will focus on a vacant patch of ground on U.S. 80 just beyond city limits.

If built, The Ridge at Vicksburg LP will be a 72-unit apartment community next to Pear Orchard subdivision, said Andrea Cooper of Little Rock-based Rich Smith Development. The company has applied for housing tax credits from the Mississippi Home Corporation to finance the project, according to legal advertisements.

Questions about the project will be answered during a hearing at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Holiday Inn Express, 4330 S. Frontage Road. At the same time Wednesday, Aeolian developer Jeremy Mears will emcee a hearing at Jones and Upchurch Realty on Clay Street on plans to redevelop the former Carr Central building on Cherry Street into 72 multifamily apartments.

Housing tax credits administered annually by MHC fund residential developments where the sliding-scale rent is based on a county’s area median income. The program provides credits or reductions in tax liability each year for 10 years for owners and investors in affordable-income rental housing, based on the costs of development and the number of qualified affordable-income units.

Applicants must turn in paperwork to MHC in May for this year’s round of available credits. Awards are expected by September.