Four developers bid on SPC affordable housing site

Four development teams – some for the second time – have submitted proposals to provide affordable homeownership opportunities at a city-owned site in West St. Petersburg. 

St. Petersburg College formerly owned the 5.23-acre property at 7045 Burlington Ave. N., which once housed the Gibbs Wellness Center. The city council unanimously approved purchasing the site for $4.2 million in November 2023. 

Three joint ventures submitted redevelopment proposals in June 2024. However, administrators restarted the process April 4. 

The city confirmed Monday that HP Capital Group, Ramos Development, McDowell Housing Partners and Namaste Homes submitted new proposals by the May 5 deadline. Per state statute, officials cannot unseal those documents until 30 days after review. 

Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside responded to the initial request for proposals (RFP). The organization, which recently celebrated an affordable townhome development opening in South St. Petersburg, remains in the running. 

“We are excited to resubmit alongside our partners with Namaste Homes,” CEO Mike Sutton told the Catalyst. “Through this partnership, 93 mixed-income units will be built. Two-thirds of the units are below 120% of the area median income (AMI), and a third are below 80%.” 

In addition to Habitat and Namaste, the initial respondents included partnerships between HP Capital and D.R. Horton and ASD | Sky and AG Signature Homes. City officials sought to provide 105 attainable townhomes and an arts center. 

Council Chair Copley Gerdes represents the area and welcomed changes to the RFP. In April, he said administrators were “nice enough” to honor his hopes for a 15,000-square-foot arts center, and credited developers for including it in their previous proposals. 

“I had a vision of having art creation on the west side and the ability for artists to live on-site,” Gerdes explained. “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.” 

Gerdes noted unit counts were low and site plans were “a little non-traditional.” While the latest RFP did not state a preferred number of for-sale townhomes, officials still hoped to see about 100. 

They also prefer not to provide public funding, though the option exists. Gerdes advocated for an even trade: Attainable homeownership opportunities for the land. 

Developers must sell all homes to households earning less than 120% of the AMI, over $125,000 for a family of four, with a 30-year income restriction period. Administrators encouraged applicants to allocate some or all units to people earning up to 80% of the AMI, or $83,450 for a family of four. 

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 for the “most timely occupancy.” 

Mike Sutton (left), CEO of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside, congratulates a family for receiving the keys to their new townhome April 30. Photos by Mark Parker.

Sutton said 31 of Habitat’s 93 proposed units would come with a 0% interest mortgage for qualified buyers. The organization has extensive experience creating affordable housing in St. Petersburg, and welcomed its Shell Dash Townhomes project’s first residents April 30. 

After the event, City Administrator Rob Gerdes said officials are “very thankful to have a partner like Habitat in our community – they’ve delivered a lot of homes over the years.” The nonprofit also has two other South St. Pete Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) projects in progress.

In August 2024, city council members unanimously approved Namaste’s plans to create 28 mixed-income townhomes at 919 21st Ave. S. The St. Petersburg-based company opened the Sixteenth Square Townhomes affordable development in January 2024. 

HP Capital is a St. Petersburg-based investment and development firm. The company completed Reflection, an 18-story luxury condominium tower overlooking Mirror Lake, in September 2024. 

HP Capital is also part of the Fairfield Avenue Apartments’ development team. In 2022, the much-anticipated 264-unit project became Florida’s first to receive approval under new legislation that allowed affordable housing in industrially-zoned areas.

Ramos Development, a subsidiary of Tampa-based Ramos Companies, is a relatively unknown entity. According to its website, the firm creates “investments focused on increasing the value of underutilized property through strategic partnerships.”

McDowell Housing Partners is a nationwide developer with offices in Miami and Dallas. The firm recently completed a $40 million affordable community for seniors in Sarasota. 

The project’s 136 units are for households earning between 20% and 70% of the AMI, a rarity. In a prepared statement, COO Chris Shear noted that those rent levels are “far lower than anywhere else in North Port and Sarasota County.”

St. Petersburg officials will review the four proposals within the next month. City Council members will ultimately approve an applicant.