A new affordable housing community in Largo will bring 144 apartments to a vacant 4.9-acre site, providing much-needed homes for lower-income residents.

Last Tuesday, California-based Lincoln Avenue Communities joined City of Largo officials to celebrate the groundbreaking of Olea on 126.

The $54.6 million project, located at 6727 126th Avenue North, will feature two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments across three four-story, garden-style buildings.

Of the 144 apartments, 35 will be reserved for households earning up to 40% of the Area Median Income (AMI), 72 units for households earning up to 60% of AMI, and 38 units for households earning up to 80% of AMI.

Residents will have access to a clubhouse, outdoor pool, playground, and 174 parking spaces.

For nearly 35 years, the James B. Sanderlin Neighborhood Family Center has supported families in south St. Pete with pre-kindergarten, after-school tutoring, job training, and weekly food distribution from its campus at 2335 22nd Avenue South.

Now, the nonprofit is preparing for what leaders describe as a transformational expansion.

Newly unveiled renderings offer a glimpse of a new 40,000-square-foot education and social services building on the organization’s five-acre campus.

The project would nearly double the size of the existing building, which would be demolished to make way for the new facility.

“This has been a dream for a while,” said Executive Director Celeste Collins, who has led the organization for nearly eight years and once brought her own children to the center before taking the helm. “We want to make sure that the space is inviting, where families feel comfortable coming here, and that we can host large functions. This is a labor of love for the community.”

Two years after it was first announced, construction is set to commence on The Beachmaker, an eight-story, 161-unit Marriott Autograph Collection hotel in Madeira Beach.

Beginning in March, existing structures on the 2.5-acre site at 15000 Madeira Way will be demolished to make way for the new resort.

Over the years, the property has been home to a variety of local businesses, most recently Frabotta’s Beach Kitchen, which will close in mid-February, and Saltwater Hippie Beach Bar, which is relocating across the street to 15045 Madeira Way.

The new hotel is being spearheaded by local developer Bill Karns, who has partnered with Marcus Winters, owner of Caddy’s, and Jeff Beggins of Century 21.

Through Boca Ciega Land Co. LLC, the partners purchased the property for $13.5 million in 2022.

A new boutique condo building along Mirror Lake in downtown St. Pete has officially hit the market.

St. Pete-based Backstreets Capital has launched sales for The Cade, a seven-story mid-rise building coming soon to 749 Burlington Avenue North featuring just 15 luxury residences overlooking the historic lake.

Contracts are now being accepted, and a sales gallery has opened at 600 1st Avenue North.

“The Cade was designed to feel like home the moment you arrive,” said Will Conroy, President of Backstreets Capital. “With only 15 residences, everything from the scale of the homes to the way the building functions was considered to create a highly personal living experience.”

“This is a place for people who want the privacy, space, and character of a custom home, paired with an irreplaceable lakefront location in downtown St. Petersburg,” Conroy added.