The shuttered Ed White Hospital building at 2323 9th Avenue North appears to be on track to be converted into affordable housing for seniors, as well as office space for the St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA), local businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

According to the city’s Housing, Land Use and Transportation Committee, the project’s housing component will consist of a total of 70 units — five studio apartments, 60 one-bedroom apartments, and five two-bedroom apartments. The residences will be available to seniors living at 60% or below of the Area Median Income (AMI).

In 2022, the AMI for a household of two was $65,700. In other words, a family of two looking to lease a unit available for those making 60% AMI would need to have a household income less than $39,420 to qualify.

Last fall, the three-story, 121,000-square-foot former hospital was one of seven affordable housing projects to be funded using the City’s funding from American Rescue Plan (ARPA).

St. Petersburg City Council allocated $5,938,214 to the project as well as $3 million in Penny for Pinellas funding.

Ed White Hospital, which opened in 1974 and was operated by HCA West Florida, closed in mid-2014 due to declining revenue and was sold at the end of 2015 to Michael Mincberg of Sight Real Estate for $2 million. Mincberg’s plan never came to fruition and three years later sold the property to developer Grady Pridgen for $2.7 million.

At the time, Pridgen had proposed to remodel and expand the facility, adding assisted living and memory care services, but that project never got off the ground and he ultimately sold the property to SPHA in December 2021 for $5.1 million.

In a statement issued after the ARPA funds were awarded, SPHA President and CEO Michael Lundy said, "We are so thankful for the support and partnership of the city council and mayor of St. Petersburg. This funding will help us advance the Ed White Hospital redevelopment project, which will create much-needed affordable housing opportunities for low-income seniors in our community and bring the housing authority even closer to the people we serve. We are definitely on the move, and it's going to be a beautiful transformation."

In addition to the renovation of the Ed White project, the SPHA is also working on another new affordable housing development in north St. Pete.  Plans are in the works for a new construction community at the intersection of Hartford Street and 32nd Avenue North.

According to a design by St. Pete-based Wannemacher Jensen Architects, it will consist of a two-story building and three-story building, providing a total of 47 affordable units for seniors and families whose incomes are below the 60% AMI threshold.

No specific timeline has been provided, but Wannemacher Jensen says the opening is “approximately two to three years on the horizon.” Wannemacher Jensen has also been hired to create a site plan for the Ed White Hospital project.

"When Mr. Lundy was hired as CEO, our board charged him with moving critical housing development projects forward and moving our staff to a place that is more centralized and accessible for our clients,” SPHA Board Chairman James Dates states. “This Ed White Hospital project marks significant progress toward both of these important goals. With the support of our city partners, I am fully confident that this property will be developed, and I am excited for what we will accomplish together for the benefit of our community.