In late January, St. Pete Rising reported on a 96-unit affordable apartment building proposed for south St. Pete.  The proposal was the result of an unsolicited offer to purchase a 2.1-acre city-owned lot across from Tangerine Plaza on the southwest corner of 18th Avenue South and 21st Street.

Green Mills Group and Advantage Village Academy, Inc. partnered to submit the offer with plans to build a five-story affordable apartment building catering to households earning between 30-80% of the area median income (AMI). The unsolicited offer triggered a request for proposals process that allowed other interested groups to submit proposals for the site. Alternate proposals were due to the city earlier today.

Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties has also submitted an offer on the site and is proposing developing a 44-unit affordable townhome development named Pelican Place.

What differentiates this proposal from Green Mills’ project is that each townhome will be sold to income-qualified purchasers as opposed to rented. Habitat for Humanity is solely focused on affordable homeownership, which the company believes is one of the primary mechanisms in breaking the cycle of generational poverty and creating intergenerational wealth.  

“Every day, affordable homeownership becomes further and further out of reach for local families. The long-term residents of St. Petersburg are being priced out of their own community,” says CEO Mike Sutton, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties. “We feel Pelican Place is one solution to the crisis; providing 44 affordable townhomes which will allow these deserving families the opportunity to build intergenerational wealth.”

Pelican Place will feature 44 three-story townhomes ranging between 1,000 and 1,300 square feet. Habitat plans to include two-, three-, and four-bedroom floor plans. Preliminarily, the new development will include 9 two-bedroom units, 9 four-bedroom units, and 26 three-bedroom units.

The average annual monthly mortgage payment for townhomes in the development are expected to be around $1,211 per month for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit. The pricing is expected to be attainable for households making $44,000, for example. Habitat will be able to offer 30-year, 0% fixed-rate mortgages.

Pelican Place would incorporate coastal contemporary design elements with a coastal color pallet, modern and traditional accents, coastal-style storm shutters, and Florida-friendly landscaping.

Every home would be EnergyStar certified which includes insulated exterior doors, Low-E double panel windows, HVAC systems with programable thermostats, and concrete exterior walls, among other features. Finishes would include hardwood cabinets, carpet and tile floor, Whirlpool appliances and pre-wiring for cable and phone.

Each townhome in the community would include a private garage with 10 additional guest parking spaces for a total of 86 spaces. The conceptual site plan features entrances along 21st Street South and Union Street South. A bus stop, shelter, and a bike rack would be located along 18th Avenue South.

Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties has a proven track record of developing affordable homes in the region and recently completed their 729th home. The group is also working on affordable townhome developments in Clearwater and Largo.

“Building more than 60+ homes in this community over the last 5 years, in addition to our Resource Center located right up the road, we are positioned to ensure long term housing solutions for the hardworking families of the Midtown community,” explains Sutton. “I’d like to highlight that our proposal includes an exclusive marketing period for residents of the CRA, City of St. Petersburg employees and school system employees.” 

If selected, Pelican Place would be exclusively marketed to residents in the South St. Petersburg CRA for the first three months and city employees in the surrounding zip codes for an additional three months.

Total development costs for the project are estimated at $13.5 million and Habitat expects to request assistance from Pinellas County’s Penny for Pinellas program as well as a grant from the South St. Petersburg, FL CRA. Private and corporate donations would also be sought for the project. 

Alternative proposals to redevelop the lot were due earlier today. It is unclear if there are additional submissions beyond Green Mills Group’s proposal and Habitat for Humanity’s proposal. However, the submissions will be reviewed by Mayor Ken Welch and, if selected, will ultimately need to be approved by City Council.