City reboots west St. Pete affordable housing process

City administrators have hit the reset button on plans to provide 105 new attainable homeownership opportunities and an arts center in West St. Petersburg.

Council Chair Copley Gerdes represents the area encompassing 7045 Burlington Ave. N. and welcomes the changes. St. Petersburg College formerly owned the 5.23-acre site that housed the Gibbs Wellness Center.

Officials issued a new request for proposals (RFP) April 4, despite previously receiving three applications. The city no longer encourages developers to convert the existing structure into an arts facility.

“I had a vision of having art creation on the west side and the ability for artists to live on-site,” Gerdes told the Catalyst. “It was a recommendation inside the last RFP, which, obviously, caused constraints on how many units you could have in the first iteration.

“I support the new RFP to go out and get as many units as we can.”

The city council unanimously approved purchasing the 228,000-square-foot property for $4.2 million in November 2023. Officials agreed to reserve 30% of approximately 105 affordable townhomes for SPC students and faculty.

Joint ventures between HP Capital Group and D.R. Horton, ASD | SKY and AG Signature Homes, and Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside and Namaste Homes submitted redevelopment proposals in June 2024. New responses are due May 5 at 10 a.m. and require the council’s approval.

Gerdes said administrators were “nice enough” to honor his vision for a 15,000-square-foot arts center in the previous RFP. He also credited developers for including it in their proposals.

However, Gerdes noted unit counts were low, and site plans were “a little non-traditional.” While an arts facility “just didn’t work out,” he pledged to continue looking for “spaces to do those types of things.”

The new RFP no longer lists a preferred number of for-sale townhomes. Officials would still like to see approximately 100.

Amy Foster, housing and neighborhood services administrator, said April 10 that the site could, potentially, still feature 105 units. She told council members the rebooted process would determine “how many units we can actually put there.”

The RFP states that construction should not require public funding, but the option exists. Gerdes prefers an even trade: Attainable homeownership opportunities for the land.

Building 100 townhomes, “which is really kind of the number we’re looking for,” in exchange for property valued at roughly $4.5 million equates to $45,000 per unit. That aligns with typical city subsidies.

“So, from a council perspective, I would be looking at that as the max,” Gerdes added. “And no more subsidies after that.”

A map of the site at 7045 Burlington Ave. N. in west St. Petersburg.

Developers must sell all homes to households earning less than 120% of the area median income (AMI), over $125,000 for a family of four. Those require a  30-year income restriction period.

Administrators prefer developers to allocate some or all units to households earning less than 80% of the AMI, or $83,450 for a family of four. They also encourage a “credible effort” to hire certified small business enterprises and disadvantaged workers.

The RFP states that applicants must have the experience and capacity necessary to proceed immediately with the project, and officials prefer a development schedule that allows the “most timely occupancy of the site.”

Gerdes noted the property has remained underutilized for about 15 years. In 2022, SPC’s Board of Trustees deemed it surplus and listed it for sale.

Foster previously said the college received other, higher bids for the site, but the board “shared our goal of creating affordable housing.” The property is about 750 feet north of SPC’s Gibbs campus, abuts the Pinellas Trail and is less than a quarter mile from myriad businesses along Central Avenue.

Gerdes said hospitality workers could bike, drive or take a bus to the beaches in minutes. “This is where this type of project fits so well.”

“Homeownership – 100 units in one quick go – really makes a difference in District 1,” Gerdes continued. “Especially when you’re talking about 120% AMI, possibly some at 80% … I’m excited to get this going.”