ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg city leaders are celebrating what they call a step in the right direction in providing affordable housing.
Officials from Pinellas County joined St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch on Tuesday to mark the opening of The Shores, a new affordable housing complex.
The Shores is located at 2605 31st Street South and features a mix of 50 one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The apartments were set aside for those earning 60% or less than the area's median income — about $34,500 for a single person or $49,260 for a family of four.
With the high demand for housing priced below current market rates, The Shores quickly filled up and is currently fully leased.
Pinellas County contributed $750,000 while St. Pete put $567,000 toward the $12.6 million project, county leaders said in a news release. The rest of the project was funded by a mix of federal, state and local sources.
"Over the past year, six affordable developments opened providing 227 new homes to local residents, with another six projects with 970 units currently approved or under construction at affordable, workforce and market rates," Pinellas County wrote in a statement.
In 2022, four new affordable housing complexes opened throughout the county: Skyway Lofts in St. Pete, Palmetto Point in Pinellas Park, Palms of Pinellas in Largo and Garden Trail Apartments in Clearwater.