Council approves city support for Habitat Pelican Place townhomes, Edward White senior housing and CRA loan program changes

St. Petersburg City Council voted June 5 to back multiple affordable‑housing actions, approving combined Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and city support for Habitat for Humanity’s Pelican Place development, restoring previously reallocated ARPA funds for the St. Petersburg Housing Authority’s Edward White senior project, and adopting amendments to the CRA’s Affordable Housing Redevelopment Loan Program to expand eligible project types.

Habitat for Humanity Pelican Place

Council approved a funding package to support Habitat for Humanity’s Pelican Place, a planned 40‑unit for‑sale townhome community on Eighteenth Avenue South near Tangerine Plaza. According to city staff, the total project cost is about $15.6 million and the development targets households at 80% of area median income (AMI) or below. The city’s support was presented as a combination of a donated city parcel (appraised at $1,430,000) plus additional cash subsidy. Administration said total city support (including the land value) would be about $3.6 million — roughly $90,000 per unit — and that the cash portion the applicant requested to close the financing is approximately $2.2 million. Project features include a mix of two‑ and three‑bed units (many with an extra den), 0% Habitat mortgages for buyers, capped closing costs and homebuyer education.

Mark Van Loo, presenting for…