Shovels hit the ground for long-planned veteran housing project

Local leaders and developers turned dirt Friday morning at 9575 Seminole Blvd. – a site Pinellas County officials purchased over a decade ago that will now become a housing development for veterans. 

“We have been working on this development for years,” said Brian Evjen, principal and president at Tampa-based Newstar Development USA. Over time, the team revised the plans to meet certain conditions while the costs escalated, but despite the setbacks, county leaders and developers secured the necessary funds and support. 

Pinellas County Housing Authority and partners Raymond James, TIAA Bank, the lender and the low-income tax credit investor, and The Home Depot Foundation are financially backing the 64-unit affordable veteran housing project. 

“We are confident these new shifts and ordinances will empower governments – that hasn’t always been the case,” Evjen said. The $20 million-plus project is funded through a multitude of sources made possible through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program, allowing the county to provide $1.7 million, and the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, which issued the tax credits. 

As part of the overall complex, there will be 58 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units in multiple buildings, which will have a Key West bungalow design, according to a prepared statement. While the entire development will serve veterans, half of the units will be solely dedicated to veterans with disabilities. 

The apartments will be reserved for renters making no more than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), which is $34,500 annually for an individual and $39,420 annually for two-person households.

“There is no other best use of this property,” said Joe Triolo, who previously served on the Pinellas County’s Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and played a critical role in securing the 13.5-acre land for the project. 

Triolo worked alongside the late PCHA CEO and Executive Director Debra Johnson. “This is the fruit of her labor,” he said, acknowledging Johnson’s leading advocacy. 

U.S. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna applauded the local governments and bipartisan leaders for collaborating on the project. 

“We have experienced the long-term impacts of war, and this project is going to give people a genuine second chance at life,” Luna said. “We know first-hand the injuries from war aren’t always physical, it’s emotional, and PTSD is a massive problem. Sometimes when people come back and transition [to civilian life], they fall on hard times and may end up homeless or have a hard time holding down a job because of it.” 

Construction is expected to be completed by spring 2024. 

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters announced that county officials will be meeting April 28 to host the 2023 Homes for Pinellas Summit and reveal an action plan to develop more communities like Valor Preserve.