The City of St. Petersburg has partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties to develop 60 townhomes. The organization will build the homes in South St. Petersburg. This area, like much of Tampa Bay, desperately needs affordable housing. These new townhomes will be a tremendous benefit to both families and the surrounding community.
The 60 townhomes will be divided between two developments — The Grove and Pelican Place. They will be on the corner of 21st Street South and 18th Street south and developing a parcel just down the street. The Pelican Place project will house 44 families and The Grove will house another 14 families.
A community’s need for affordable housing
“The need for affordable housing in all categories and all income levels is a mess and at Habitat, we are solely focused on affordable home ownership,” said Mike Sutton, president and CEO of the local Habitat chapter. “We believe affordable homeownership is the best way to benefit the surrounding area and its residents by allowing them to share in equity creation spurred by planned redevelopment. Homeownership is also one of the primary mechanisms for creating intergenerational wealth.”
Sutton thanked St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch for making the partnership possible. This news comes just months after Welch’s Community Conversation at the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus. During these discussions, affordable housing was a major concern among residents. Sutton urged the new administration to focus on housing development opportunities.
“Through homeownership, we can create communities of opportunity, promoting sustainable growth that benefits all residents and stakeholders,” said Sutton. “An adequate supply of affordable housing is vital to creating an energized economy and healthy communities. Though a strong economy doesn’t always guarantee an adequate supply of affordable homes, an adequate supply of affordable homes does serve as the foundation for a strong and resilient economy.”
The need for more affordable housing at all categories in this region, and at all income levels is immense, Sutton said.
In 1986, Habitat completed its very first home in St. Petersburg in the Methodist Town neighborhood. They have been serving the community ever since. Habitat Pinellas and West Pasco already has a great deal of experience in developing, constructing, and selling fee-simple, affordable housing over its 36-year history. In fact, the organization has just completed their 758th home. The organization is second out of over 1,100 Habitat affiliates across the nation in new home construction. It is also 14th in home building in the Tampa Bay region.
The townhomes will be built in the Midtown area. A diverse population of both residents and workers live here. Still, the housing crisis has hit it hard with skyrocketing property values, which many residents simply cannot afford. Giving them the ability to purchase affordable homes helps create and sustain a vibrant community, according to Habitat. These two new projects are expected to ease some of the pressure residents feel to leave the area and create additional opportunities to keep Midtown sustainable.
“After reviewing all proposals for these sites, Habitat for Humanity offered an innovative opportunity for homeownership, made affordable by their zero-percent interest mortgage program,” Welch said. “This is a life-changing opportunity for homeownership and wealth-building for residents within the Southside Community Redevelopment Area. The monthly mortgage payment is truly affordable, and Habitat for Humanity is also a trusted organization in the community that we believe will deliver a quality project.”
Pelican Place and The Grove
At Pelican Place, Habitat plans to develop 44 units: nine two-bedroom units, nine four-bedroom units and 26 three-bedroom units. The units have one-car garages on the first floor. The homes would range between 1,000 and 1,300 square feet. The total development cost is roughly $13.5 million.
Habitat submitted two designs for The Grove. The 10-unit design consists of two five-unit buildings with primary frontage on Russel Street. The site plan for the 10 units would not entail having frontage on 18th Avenue South and it allows for a more open design with added green space for residents.
The 12-unit design plan consists of four separate buildings. This design has primary frontage on 18th Avenue South, which aligns with the zoning. All the three-story units would have bottom-floor garages and a utility/storage area. There would be two parking spaces per unit, to limit the impact of on-street parking in the area.
The total development cost for the project is roughly $3.4 million.
For both projects, homeowners receive a conventional 30-year, 0% interest mortgage and Habitat eliminates the need for a down payment and does not require private mortgage insurance. It only requires $1,000 in closing costs. The projects will be marketed only to South St. Petersburg residents and city staff for the first three months.
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