Tampa CRA approves $9.7 million to back 118-unit East Tampa affordable housing project on Columbus Drive

At a meeting of the Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency, the agency approved a $9,700,000 contribution to the Ashley East mixed‑income housing and future commercial development on Columbus Drive, a 118‑unit project presented by the Integral Group.

The project team and city staff told the board the development has secured financing and site control, and that the first phase — the multifamily housing component — is ready to move to construction once the CRA funding is allocated. Cedric McCray, Tampa CRA director and East Tampa CRA manager, said the recommendation from the Community Advisory Committee was to approve the full $9.7 million request: “the recommendation was to move forward with the 9,700,000.0 ask. And there are was several, a lot of conversation from the CAC. The vote at that point was 6 to 5 from the CAC members at that time.” The board approved the funding by voice vote with a motion from Board Member Amanda Scott Blue and a second from Board Member Tim Dennen.

Kareem Brantley, representing the Integral Group, described the first phase as 118 affordable units built using 4% low‑income housing tax credit financing that the team secured after receiving an award in 2024. “No project, including ours, is gonna be a silver bullet for solving affordable housing,” Brantley said, adding the development is intended as “block development” with a later commercial phase. Brantley said the team completed due diligence, including geotechnical work, and adjusted the site plan to respond to community input and technical site constraints — notably a subsurface void that affects where structures and parking can be sited.

The developer told the board the unit mix is targeted to low incomes: about 32% of units will be at 50% area median income (AMI) or below (including 30% AMI units), and nearly 70% of units will be at 60% AMI or less. Brantley said the proposal also includes a small share of units at the 80% AMI level so residents who earn more can remain in the neighborhood as incomes rise.

Brantley outlined building amenities and community supports that will be part of the project, including a linear park along Columbus Drive, a resident services nonprofit the developer operates called the Ascent Project, a community room with computers and Wi‑Fi for residents, a self‑service kiosk for everyday items, and local hiring and workforce partnerships with youth programs. He said the developer committed to 50% MWBE contracting on the project and that the team has letters from financers and partners in the board packet.

Board members pressed on parking, design and long‑term phasing. Board Member Clendenin asked whether the project is “over‑parked” and whether the developer had explored lower parking ratios or phased parking. Brantley and team members said the plan seeks roughly a one‑space‑per‑unit minimum and that the team will request waivers where appropriate; they said parking is located at the rear to reduce frontage impacts and that the layout responds to the geotechnical constraints and to resident input asking the building be set back from the highway to reduce noise.

Board Member Maniscalco questioned whether concentrating primarily low‑income housing in one building risks “institutionalizing” poverty and asked what assurances exist that the proposed commercial phase of the project will be built. City staff and the CRA manager pointed to an RFP agreement and the negotiated award conditions requiring performance — including that the housing be built first and that both parts of the project be completed within an agreed time frame. Brantley told the board the team planned a financial closing and construction start on a schedule that moves into May, assuming CRA award and the planned financing path proceed.

Cedric McCray told the board how the CRA funding would be drawn: an initial allocation request of $2,125,000 for land acquisition followed by the remaining $7,575,000 disbursed over a three‑year term. Staff said those funds would be drawn from the unit creation and conversion, neighborhood infrastructure, and East Tampa continuous project accounts. The developer provided a project budget breakdown to the board showing site acquisition and parking about 16% of costs, soft costs about 18%, and roughly 56% of the budget allocated to construction.

After discussion, Board Member Amanda Scott Blue moved to approve the CRA contribution and Board Member Tim Dennen seconded. The board approved the motion by voice vote. The developer and staff said they would return with any required follow‑up materials and that construction would begin after the closing scheduled on the team’s financing timeline.

Details the board requested for follow up included documentation of the CAC recommendation, the project’s financing letters (included in the packet), and confirmation of the multiyear budget adjustments needed to accommodate the CRA disbursements.

The action advances a project that the developer described as intended to provide a concentrated set of affordable units, resident services, local hiring and planned future commercial amenities. The CRA’s contribution is intended to close a financing gap and enable the multifamily phase to move to construction.