From senior housing on the Pinellas Trail to dedicated units for aging foster youth, St. Petersburg is directing $40.85 million in hurricane recovery funds toward vulnerable residents.
City Council members unanimously approved the spending package, which will support 645 affordable units across six projects, on Thursday. The funding stems from a $48 million set-aside within St. Petersburg’s $159.88 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) allocation.
The council’s approval caps a highly competitive solicitation process that began in May. Housing officials received 34 applications requesting $246.7 million in subsidies; they eliminated seven immediately for failing to meet program requirements.
A multidisciplinary staff committee scored the remaining 27 applications on developer capacity, alignment with the city’s housing plan, financial feasibility, site access, affordability and target demographics before recommending six for authorization. Administrators prioritized projects that serve senior, homeless and disabled residents.
Developers were required to reserve at least 51% of units for households earning at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI) for 30 years. However, the six winning proposals went far beyond that minimum standard.
Carly Reynolds, multifamily housing operations support manager, noted that 645 of the 657 total project units – 98% – are capped at 80% AMI. Of those, 425 are for households earning up to 60% AMI.
Awarded developers will reserve 142 units for people earning up to 30% AMI, which is roughly $25,000 for a two-person household. “So, very deeply affordable,” Reynolds said.
“Additionally, all projects that were chosen offered 99 or 99-plus years of affordability,” Reynolds continued. “So theoretically, permanent affordability.”
Here are the awarded projects:
JR Tower
The largest allocation of the package – $15 million – went to JR Tower, a 150-unit, $72.6 million development planned for 1850 Central Ave. Blue Sky Communities is leading the project, which will feature 2,700 square feet of ground-floor retail space, a fitness center, a club room and library.
Income restrictions range from 22% to 80% AMI. Blue Sky will offer supportive housing services for residents experiencing homelessness and those with disabilities, Reynolds said, “right in the heart of downtown.”
Hartford & Saratoga Apartments
Blue Sky partnered with the St. Petersburg Housing Authority on two separate, yet adjacent projects at the southeast corner of 32nd Ave. N. and Hartford Street. The organizations will receive $7.5 million to create 75 new affordable units and renovate 34 at the existing Saratoga Apartments complex.
Nearly three-quarters of the $37.5 million project’s 109 apartments will support households earning 30% AMI or less, providing long-term relief for low-income seniors, military veterans and families. The remainder are capped at 80%.
Trailside Estates II
Magellan Housing secured $7.05 million for Trailside Estates II, a 94-unit senior living community planned at the corner of 40th Street South and the Pinellas Trail. The development’s first phase was excluded from the funding program.
All of the $38.6 million project’s units are for households earning up to 80% AMI. The development, which Edwards said would feature a pedestrian link to the Pinellas Trail, will feature 15 apartments for those earning up to 30% AMI and cap another 57 at 60%.
Southline Apartments
Elmington Capital was awarded $4.1 million for Skyway Flats – recently rebranded as South Line Apartments – a 176-unit, $77.2 million community near 38th Avenue South. The six-story complex represents the largest to receive funding and includes a unique commitment: 18 homes for young adults aging out of foster care.
Edwards said there is “already a memo from Family Support Services to make that happen, which is pretty great.” Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders said she can “only empathize with the trauma of children aging out of foster care,” and called the proposal a highlight.
Residences at 1663
In the EDGE District, BendinRoad Development received $4.8 million for Residences at 1663, a 13-story mixed-use and mixed-income building at 1663 1st Avenue South. While the broader project includes 60 short-term rental units, federal disaster funds will strictly finance 60 long-term affordable apartments.
BendinRoad will dedicate 48 of the 60 apartments to households earning up to 80% AMI. The $39.4 million building will feature a rooftop pool, gym and coworking space.
Portland Apartments
The final $2.5 million award will help preserve existing affordable housing at the Portland Apartments, a 68-unit, 12-story tower built in 2011 at 300 8th Street North. “This is a very popular place to live – they have a waitlist constantly,” Edwards said.
All units are for residents earning between 30% and 60% AMI. However, the building needs substantial renovations.
The Pinellas County Housing Authority partnered with Sunrise Affordable Housing Group (SAHG) to complete a $24.9 million overhaul that includes a roof replacement, installing impact windows, upgrading HVAC and electrical systems and modernizing individual units. Councilmember Richie Floyd said he has received several tenant complaints regarding elevator outages.
Logan Wells, SAHG’s director of finance, blamed those issues on a tenant mishap and vandals. He assured the council that ownership is fronting repair costs and implementing measures to help protect elevators from future disruptions.
Edwards said federal funding for new developments requires rigorous environmental assessments. She expects those to conclude in February 2027, and “no project can financially close until that is done first.”
“It’s nice to get a presentation with this much affordable housing all in one go,” Floyd said. “Seeing it all, especially geographically spread out and 99-year land leases – it was all really nice to see.”
