ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has officially given the St. Petersburg Housing Authority the green light to demolish 31 vacant units at Jordan Park Apartments as part of a long-planned redevelopment of the housing facility.
Jordan Park, once the oldest public housing facility in Florida, will switch from public housing to a 100 percent project-based voucher property. Units at the property will be available to households that earn 60 percent or less of the Area Median Income in St. Petersburg, or a median of $59,050 for a family of four, according to the city.
“This latest approval from HUD takes us one step closer to realizing the goal that many of us in the St. Pete community have worked towards for so long – the revitalization of Jordan Park and the significant improvement of the quality of life for our residents,” Commissioner James Dates, chairman of the SPHA Board of Commissioners said.
The approval is described by SPHA as a major milestone in the Jordan Park Redevelopment Project, with the first phase of the rehabilitation scheduled to begin in December. The Phase 1 construction will include building a senior midrise and renovating 97 of the property’s 206 family-style apartment units, as well as the community center and management office.
SPHA said they expect the first phase of construction to finish in August 2022, with Phase 2 to start immediately after with the renovation of the remaining family units.
“I would like to express gratitude for the efforts of HUD’s Special Applications Center and Miami Field office in helping us arrive at this pivotal point in the redevelopment process. I am definitely looking forward to the groundbreaking, which we anticipate will take place in the first part of the new year, and will signify a new beginning for Jordan Park,” said SPHA President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Lundy.
The senior midrise portion of the project will have 60 units and construction of the project and rehabilitation will be performed by Norstar Development USA.