New affordable housing opens in Manatee County. But there’s 800 on the waitlist.
The newest affordable housing complex in Manatee County is proof that more of them are desperately needed in the Bradenton area.
Each of the 92 units at the Sandpiper Place apartment community is already rented, and the waiting list has more than 800 people on it.
The demand is understandable. The average cost of rent has increased by $400 over the past 12 months in some parts of Manatee County, according to housing data provided by RentHub. While those prices continue to rise, Sandpiper Place provides two- and three-bedroom apartments for between roughly $400 and $1,500 a month, based on the tenant’s income.
Sandpiper Place uses the average median income range to determine who can live there. Depending on how many adults will live in the apartments, they’re available for households that make between $16,000 and $66,000 in total annual income.
Speaking during the apartment complex’s grand opening ceremony, one resident said finding a cheap place to stay has already made a huge impact on her family.
“As soon I stepped forth here, I knew this is where I needed to be. It felt like home,” said Jercoiya Waiters, a young professional who looks after an autistic sibling. “I’m grateful for this opportunity to live and thrive as I take care of my brother.”
Local officials praised the construction quality at Sandpiper Place, 4605 26th St. W., Bradenton, and reinforced their commitment to providing the same affordable housing experience for more residents.
“I can’t imagine there’s a lot of challenges that are bigger than affordable housing. What’s going on is incredible,” said U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key. “I’m thinking this is 90 units, but we’ve got 800 people waiting. We need 10 more of these tomorrow.”
“This is a great project, but it’s 92 units. It’s not really moving the needle,” added County Commissioner George Kruse. “We need about 20 more of these.”
Sandpiper Place is Manatee County’s first apartment complex from Blue Sky Communities, a Tampa-based affordable housing developer. In March 2020, the company opened an 80-unit complex in Sarasota as well.
“There is unprecedented demand for affordable housing across Florida, and Blue Sky is thrilled that Sandpiper Place is now open to Manatee County residents looking for safe, quality housing at an affordable cost,” Shawn Wilson, president and CEO of Blue Sky Communities, said in a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald.
With its pool, fitness center and attractive architecture, county leaders say Sandpiper Place sets the standard for affordable housing communities.
“Affordable housing tends to have that stigma about it, but the truth is that more and more affordable housing affects working families and seniors living on fixed incomes,” County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said. “Rent is going up, and we’re starting to ask ourselves, where are our police officers, our teachers and our nurses going to live?”
How to get more affordable housing built?
The Manatee Board of County Commissioners pitched in more than $350,000 to help get the $20 million Sandpiper Place development off the ground. The board has also tasked Kruse with meeting with other officials and developers to explore possibilities that can bring affordable housing to the Bradenton area much faster.
“The best way to fix our current housing problem would have been to build things the right way five years ago, but that ship has sailed. You can’t put up an apartment complex in 24 hours,” Kruse said. “It’s unfortunate, but we need to use this as a lesson to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
County officials already provide certain benefits for developers looking to build affordable housing, but they aren’t taken advantage of nearly enough, Kruse argued. Throughout the year, he said his top priority will be working with builders to find out what Manatee County can do to make affordable housing more common.
Behind the scenes, progress is being made. The county’s Building and Development Services Department is researching a policy that would make it cheaper for developers to build small apartment units and Kruse has suggested identifying certain properties where affordable housing would be appropriate.
“It seems like we have the momentum to make positive changes with our Comprehensive Plan for incentives so we don’t run into these problems again,” said Kruse.
Getting those policies updated and building new affordable housing units will take time, but for now, officials are proud of what Sandpiper Place has to offer for Manatee County’s residents.
“Any affordable housing project — whether it’s small or large — does have a significant impact on the community,” Van Ostenbridge said. “It does affect individual people’s lives.”
For more information, visit www.SandpiperPlaceApartments.com/Applicants to join the waitlist and find out when units become available.
