| Habitat for Humanity, Exact – Shell Dash LLC and City of St. Petersburg partner on 10-unit townhome development. St. Petersburg, FL – On December 6, 2022, Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties in partnership with Exact – Shell Dash LLC and the City of St. Petersburg will break ground on a ten-unit townhome development located on the 16th Street Business Corridor, bordering the Campbell Park Neighborhood. The new development will be exclusively marketed to potential homeowners making less than 80% of the area median income and willing to participate in the Habitat for Humanity program. The townhomes will be two-story three-bedroom, three bathrooms units with a single-car garage. Through the Habitat program, homebuyers will be provided a 0% interest mortgage and with a meaningful investment by the City each unit will have a maximum sales price capped at $219,000. DuCon Construction will serve as the general contractor for the development and is a state certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). Construction is slated to be completed by Q3 of 2024. |
| Habitat Pinellas and West Pasco, recently named the largest Habitat affiliate based on new home builds across the 1,100 US affiliate network, was a natural partner for the City of St. Petersburg. Habitat Homes are sold at no profit and no interest to households who do not qualify for a traditional mortgage. The program prepares homeowner partners to be successful through an education curriculum of 32 classes, from budgeting to home maintenance. “At Habitat for Humanity, our primary focus is to serve families through affordable homeownership opportunities”, explains Mike Sutton, president & CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties. “The Habitat Homeownership Program empowers individuals and families to build and buy their own homes with the help of people in our community. With each home dedication ceremony, we see the cycle of generational poverty breaking – and we are proud to partner with Mayor Welch and his team to bring that opportunity to South St. Petersburg.” “Exact Partners and Architects are excited about our partnership with the City of St. Petersburg and Habitat for Humanity”, said developer Bob Mayer. “It has been a longtime coming to provide this affordable new housing to the Southside of St. Petersburg. This truly is a public, private, and non-profit Partnership Model for getting affordable housing to the people of St. Petersburg.” This unique partnership brings together Habitat’s expertise in affordable homeownership, the Shell Dash team’s years of development experience and DuCon’s residential construction capabilities to execute on the City’s vision of building Housing Opportunities for All. Both the City and the development teams know how hard it is for people to find housing that fits their needs and budget. This development highlights the importance of public/private partnerships and increased collaboration within the affordable housing sector. All involved are proud to be able to offer three-bedroom townhomes just blocks away from the Historic Gas Plant District site at a maximum purchase price less than half the cost of other new construction in the area. WHAT: Shell Dash Groundbreaking Ceremony WHEN: Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at 2 PM WHERE: 1120 16th St. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33705 (Across from Greater Mt Zion AME Church) RSVP and learn more at www.habitatpwp.org/shelldash. Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County and West Pasco Counties Since 1985, Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties has served over 900 families and individuals through its new home buyer and neighborhood revitalization programs using locally raised funds. Volunteers and the future homeowners construct the homes, which are sold at no profit and financed with a zero-interest loan. Habitat homeowner candidates earn 30 to 80 percent of area median income. Candidates must demonstrate need for adequate shelter; ability to pay back a zero-interest loan and willingness to partner with Habitat to invest 350 to 450 “sweat equity” hours. Mortgage monies are used to build even more homes, making each donation to Habitat a perpetual legacy to the community. Habitat believes that homeownership contributes to family stability, leading, in turn, to community stability. Additionally, the affiliate raises funds through their ReStores; home improvement outlets where donated household and building items are sold to the public. For more information about Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties, call (727) 536-4755 or visit www.habitatpwp.org. |