Developer seeks to expand Whitfield Preserve, a Bradenton-area affordable housing project
The developer of Whitfield Preserve apartments, who in 2019 won county approval to build 64 units of affordable housing in southern Manatee County, is seeking to expand the project.
Whitfield Estates LLC wants to build 192 one- and two-bedroom units on 10 acres in the 7200 block of 12th Street East, according to paperwork filed with Manatee County Development Services.
It would be a 100% affordable multi-family development, Rowena Elliott said in an email. Elliott is the affordable housing development coordinator for Manatee County Development Services.
The units would be 750 square-feet, one- and-two-bedroom apartments, based on the county’s one-half dwelling unit standard.
The proposed rents would range from $950 to $1,200 per unit, depending on income.
The owner of the property is Whitfield Estates LLC of Bayport, N.Y. The company lists its principal business office in Fort Myers, according to paperwork filed with the Florida Division of Corporation’s Sunbiz web site.
The developer bought the tract for $1.1 million in 2021, according to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s web site.
The planned affordable housing development is bordered on the south by commercial offices and on the west by a residential neighborhood and Whitfield Park. Abel Elementary School is located nearby to the east.
Public hearings are tentatively set for Feb. 9 with the Manatee County Planning Commission and for Feb. 16 with the Manatee County Commission.
Affordable housing crisis
A shortage of affordable housing in Manatee County has been described as a crisis situation. Rents and housing prices have soared, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s bad news for the workforce of essential workers such as teachers, nurses and law enforcement officers who can’t afford to live in the community they serve.
Manatee County’s economy is heavily focused on tourism and the service sector and requires workers to keep those industries functioning.
In general, an income eligible household is said to be living in affordable housing when it spends no more than 30% of its income on either rent or mortgage payments, according to the Florida Housing Coalition.
Manatee County saw several new workforce or affordable housing projects started or announced in 2022.
The largest, planned for 4505 12th Street Court E., would have a total of 572 units of multi-family affordable housing, including 324 units of family housing, called 301 Flats, and 248 units of senior housing called The Savoy at 301.
In that project, the highest rent that could be charged would be about $1,800 for a three-bedroom and $1,200 for a studio, but the actual rent would be determined by the tenant’s income, according to a land-use restriction agreement between Manatee County government and the developer.
Other affordable housing projects
▪ Sandpiper Place apartments, 4605 26th St. W., Bradenton, opened early in the year with all 92 units rented, and a waiting list of more than 800.
▪ Hope Village, at 1825 30th Ave. W.. was announced by Help to Home, a local nonprofit organization and homeless resource group. Planned are at least 53 apartment units on 4.8 acres. Each unit would be about 600 square feet and serve as temporary housing. The community would provide a variety of services, including programs that teach financial literacy and other counseling resources.
▪ Housing Trust Group plans to build a five-story, 120-unit complex for seniors on the northwest corner of Ninth St. W. and 23rd Ave. W. in Bradenton.
▪ Construction is underway on a 12-story apartment building designed to bring workforce housing to downtown Bradenton. The Nine20 Manatee apartments, 920 Manatee Ave. W., would have 137 units, with rents ranging from about $1,300 for a one-bedroom unit to $1,600 for a two-bedroom.
