ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rent, in St Pete, for less than $400 a month.
That’s what local leaders say residents can expect after developers broke ground on a new project earlier this week.
The city, county, and developers from Blue Sky Communities are partnering for a 26.8 million dollar project that will bring 66 units of mixed income housing to St. Petersburg.
The county website says the development will be for “people who earn 80 percent or less of the area median income, which is about $46,000 for an individual.”
Rent is set to range from $358 a month for a 1-bedroom for the lowest income residents to $1,807 a month for a 3-bedroom apartment for renters earning up to 80 percent of the area median income.
“We are St. Petersburg and everyone that lives here should be comfortable, should feel welcome, regardless of how much money they make. Every occupation makes this city work,” said city council chair Deborah Figgs-Sanders. “It’s wonderful, it’s beautiful, I applaud the 66 units, but we know it’s not enough. But it does say to our community that we’re trying. Every available land that we can get, to get affordable housing erected for our residents, we’re going to do that.”
Figgs-Sanders says this project, which will sit at 3800 34th St. S. in St. Pete, is an expansion from an already existing affordable housing development that neighbors the property. The existing development is called Skyway Lofts, and the new property will be called SkyWay Lofts II.
St. Pete neighbors like Cynthia Calleia say projects like this are a good start, but they’re hoping local leaders can do more to help struggling renters. And that they can do it quickly.
“I’m scrubbing my pennies together hoping something will grow out of it because I can’t afford, sometimes, to eat,” she said. “I’ve had my water cut off a couple of times, I’ve had my electric cut off a couple of times, just in the last year. If I get sick one day I’m going to be homeless… you need public housing.”
To find out more about the SkyWay Lofts II project, click here.