More affordable housing is coming to St. Pete after the City Council approved a site plan for Fairfield Avenue Apartments. Developers are set to purchase a 6-acre lot currently housing Tibbetts Lumber and begin construction this year on a 264-unit affordable and workforce housing complex, the first of its kind in Florida.

The site sits along the north side of the Pinellas Trail between 34th Street and 31st Street South, where the new apartment complex will become neighbors with The Body Electric Athletic Company, Gibbs High School, and the expanding St. Petersburg Distillery. This development will be the first in St. Pete to take advantage of a state bill passed in 2020, and the ensuing city ordinance passed in town, allowing for the construction of affordable housing in areas zoned for other uses.

In July, the city approved up to $2.2 million in financial support for the construction, a sign of how important affordable housing to Mayor Ken Welch’s administration. The approval by the Citizens Advisory Committee was part of more than $5 million worth of affordable housing spending proposals put forward by Welch and recommended by the committee.

In addition to on-site parking and bike storage, the complex will offer amenities such as a pool, gym, computer lab and playground. The five and six-story buildings will be divided into one, two and three-bedroom units, all available at various levels of the average median income (AMI). The entirety of the project is set aside for affordable and workforce housing.

All 264 units reserved for affordable housing

As part of the breakdown, 144 apartments will be for households at or below 120% AMI; 67 will go to those at 80% AMI or below; and 53 will be reserved for households earning 50% AMI or less. The majority of the one bedroom apartments will be held for those at 50% AMI or below, while most of the two and three bedroom units will be available to those at 120% or below.

The project aligns with Mayor Ken Welch’s goal of not only ensuring that St. Pete has options for affordable housing, but that the city works to actively “increase the inventory” of total units. This news follows the openings of two other new affordable housing complexes this spring, Skyway Lofts and Delmar 745.

“We are about community impact,” Welch said in a speech. “This is how innovation, collaboration and common purpose move us to success. Using this model of partnership and priority, we are focused on developing and implementing our opportunity agenda for housing to better meet this expanding need. And we will continue to help those who are in housing, but struggling.”

The developers of Fairfield Avenue Apartments, HP Capital Group, said construction is set to begin soon. The development is expected to open in 2024.

“Fairfield Apartments are designed to be contemporary yet affordable apartments in St. Petersburg, convenient to downtown and the beaches,” HP Capital Group said.

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