Construction for new housing in the popular South Tampa is underway. The Tampa Housing Authority, in partnership with developer Archway Properties and the woman-owned Signature Property Services, broke ground on a 100-unit, four-story affordable housing project. Casa Bel-Mar will bring one- and two-bedroom units that will rent at below-market rates to those earning 30% to 80% of the Area Median Income.
Housing Authority Chief Operating Officer Leroy Moore called the property a rare find in the pricey South Tampa area. “It is very rare because property values there are extraordinarily high.”
A mission for more affordable housing
The property was previously owned by Palma Ceia Baptist Church. Members were happy to sell for a reasonable price since the property would be used for affordable housing, Moore said.
“The church had a mission and a desire to see affordable housing. So it sold the property that made an affordable deal make sense,” he said.
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Moore said Archway approached the housing authority to fill in a financial gap for the project. Hillsborough County kicked in $2.5 million and the housing authority approved Section 8 federally subsidized housing.
“We have a very long wait list for housing. And 75 of these units will go to people on that list,” Moore said. “The other 25% we will advertise for this specific property and people can apply.”
Once the complex is complete, it will be turned over to the Tampa Housing Authority.
Similar affordable housing buildings
This is not the first affordable housing complex in South Tampa, just the first in 15 years. The Tampa Housing Authority has several others, including a 40-unit property on MacDill Avenue immediately behind where the Colonnade Restaurant once stood and 14 units at SoHo Place Apartments on Howard Avenue near Platt Street.
“We also have Azeel Apartments on Azeel Avenue, and we own Gardens of South Bay, a newer construction project we built in partnership with the Hillsborough County School District,” Moore said. It is just south of Gandy Boulevard and has 226 units with 19% of them considered affordable housing.
“The last property in South Tampa is The Arbors Padgett Estates one block north of Gandy, with 119 units, all public housing,” he said.
The housing authority has worked with Archway on other projects, including the $30 million renovation of its Belmont Heights property, with 525 units in East Tampa.
Archway also works with the housing authority on the West River project. West River Flats Apartments on Spruce Terrace includes one- to three-bedroom apartments with 688-944 square feet. Those places rent for $1,700-2,300.
Renaissance West River is an apartment and condo complex catering to residents 62 and older with income restrictions.
In all, the housing authority has worked with Archway on five projects in West River. “It’s going great,” Moore said.
Amenities of Casa Bel-Mar
As for the Casa Bel-Mar groundbreaking, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and other local officials joined in the celebration.
The complex will include a community center, library and tech lab and a fitness center. It will serve as a site for social programs, including adult literacy and employment assistance.
The programs and services funded by Hillsborough County focus on creating new affordable housing opportunities, as well as training for residents to further their careers and afford home ownership, and infrastructure improvements that enhance the communities around them.
The Tampa Housing Authority was first incorporated in 1937 with a mission to cultivate affordable housing while empowering people and communities.
In addition to managing federal Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs, the Authority works with local governments, and partners with public and private developers and organizations to carry out entrepreneurial urban development projects that expand accessible housing options locally through mixed-income residences which include commercial developments and community service programs.
Late in 2022, the Hillsborough County Commission voted to approve $6.2 million toward an affordable apartment complex in Riverview, with the state’s Housing Initiative Program kicking in an additional $1.5 million for the 116-unit complex.
The apartments will mostly be rented to seniors making 70% of the county’s median family income below, with many going to those at 50% below the median family income. That is $26,000 annually for the first group and just $13,000 annually for the second group.
The county also invests in job training programs, including one where a provider is creating a prefab home manufacturing training program for low-income residents who can learn to build homes that will go to other low-income families.