Affordable Housing Projects Get Nod From Pinellas Commissioners

CLEARWATER, FL — In its ongoing efforts to provide affordable housing in Pinellas County as housing values and rents soar, the Pinellas County Commission has unanimously agreed to help fund two affordable housing projects.

Among them, commissioners agreed to kick in $2 million for developer Blue Sky Communities to purchase the currently empty Clearwater Station 45 building at 610 Franklin St. in downtown Clearwater from the Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency to transform into an affordable housing project.

Clear Sky plans to build a $28.1 million nine-story, 81-unit affordable housing project at the site of the fformer fire station in Clearwater.

Amanda Thompson, director of the Clearwater CRA, said the $2 million will go into a land trust that will be used to help build more affordable housing projects in the city.

Blue Sky will use tax credits for low-income housing, funds from the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program (SHIP) and more than $1 million from the Penny for Pinellas fund for affordable housing to build the project.

Additionally, the Clearwater CRA will contribute $300,000.

Based in Tampa, Blue Sky Communities builds affordable housing for the homeless, elderly, disabled, veterans and struggling families.

The 81 units will be available to families that earn 30 to 80 percent of the area median income, which is between $20,000 and $55,000 a year. Thirteen units will be set aside for those earning 30 percent of the AMI and 56 will be for those who earn 60 percent of the AMI.

Blue Sky founder Shawn Wilson said the company plans to break ground in November or December.

Commissioners also approved a request for $4 million in funding from Archway Partners for construction of the Seminole Square Apartments at 2075 Seminole Blvd. in Largo.

The 96-unit apartment complex will cost about $27.5 million to build.

Apartments will be available to families that earn at or below 80 percent of the area median income with 34 units set aside for those who earn 30 percent of the AMI and 11 units for those who earn 60 percent of the AMI.

County Commission Charlie Justice lauded the commission's approval of the projects.

“We took a step today to make sure that 177 families of Pinellas County would have a better opportunity to have a place to call home,” he said.

Working with counties, cities and nonprofits like Metropolitan Ministries, Blue Sky Communities projects completed and under construction include Arbor Village in Sarasota, Ashley Square in Jacksonville, Blue Sky Brandon, Brookside Square in St. Petersburg, Clermont Ridge, Fairlawn Village in Orlando, Duval Park in St. Petersburg, Silver Lake in Tampa, Sweetwater Villas in Tampa, SkyWay Lofts in St. Petersburg, Uptown Sky in Tampa and 13 others.