St. Pete Catalyst; Published By: Veronica Brezina
Residents can now track resources and affordable housing options through a new site designed to visually capture the city’s progress in combatting the housing crisis.
The St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership has launched a website that tracks affordable and workforce housing developments and initiatives in the city, which has been an ongoing need as the city’s population is increasing and residents are facing skyrocketing rents.
“The challenge is compounded by high construction costs, limited land, loss of traditional low-income housing and demographic trends. This website is designed to help policymakers, developers, advocates and investors make smart decisions,” the website page reads. “There is no silver bullet, but there are hundreds of actions that can all help attack the problem from different angles and perspectives.”
The site states the city’s goal is to impact approximately 7,000 households by the end of the year.
A pie graph shows to date, it’s completed 1,466 and 1,7711 are “in progress.”
The site has a search option where users can compare the affordable housing needs based on the AMI (average median income) for each ZIP code within the city. It also features a page with an interactive map showing the projects under construction versus those that are planned.
For example, the map shows Habitat for Humanity’s affordable townhomes throughout the city, Jordan Park, a 266-unit complex under construction in South St. Pete, and the planned redevelopment of the Edward White Hospital on 9th Avenue N. that will create 70 affordable housing units. Read more
