80 new affordable housing coming to downtown Bradenton after city OKs loan to builder
City leaders signed off on a deal worth $800,000 to help begin construction on the latest affordable housing complex in the heart of downtown Bradenton.
Housing Trust Group, an affordable housing developer with two other complexes in Manatee County, asked the Bradenton City Council for funds to support their latest project, Riverview6. The complex will sit on the southeast corner of Sixth Avenue West and Ninth Street West.
When it opens, the five-story complex will provide 80 units of “truly affordable” housing for Bradenton residents, said Katerina Gerakios-Siren, director of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.
Construction is expected to begin in June.
Riverview6 will include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, ranging from 600 to 1,100 square feet. As a designated affordable housing complex, eligible tenants will be required to earn between $16,000 and $60,000 in total annual income, which is based on federal guidelines.
Developers originally envisioned Riverview6 as a housing complex for senior citizens, but those plans have changed to get rid of age restrictions.
Applications to live in Riverview6 are not being accepted yet. Applications will be made available closer to when the complex is scheduled to open in July 2023. Visit www.HTGF.com for more information.
The Addison, 702 Sixth Ave. E., Bradenton, which opened in 2019, was HTG’s first affordable housing offering in Manatee County. In November, HTG opened Oaks at Lakeside, 3505 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton, another affordable housing complex that sits outside of city limits. City leaders praised the construction quality of HTG’s earlier projects and looked forward to adding another downtown.
“This is an excellent project. I’m an advocate for your group every time,” said Councilman Bill Sanders. “This is exactly what we should be doing every time.”
“When you look at this area on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Ninth, that’s a little rough down there. It needs a face-lift,” City Administrator Rob Perry added.
Riverview6 aims to become HTG’s third high-quality project in Manatee County. The building will be built from concrete, with 4,000 square feet of public commercial space and amenities for residents on the ground floor.
Amenities for residents will include a children’s playground, a fitness center and a clubhouse gathering space. There is also an opportunity to incorporate public art on the outside of the building.
“Part of this very important corner and what the city wanted to see is commercial, which isn’t typical for an affordable housing development because of the funding,” said Dilia Tabora, HTG’s assistant vice president of development. “We worked with the city and we arrived with 4,000 square feet of retail space on that corner to really activate it and maintain the commercial corridor.”
Officials said HTG is the perfect developer to build more housing units in downtown Bradenton, where city leaders want to see more people live, work and play.
“I think this is a great project. It really makes our city more walkable,” Mayor Gene Brown said.
The city’s $550,000 loan to HTG is meant to cover the costs associated with the retail space, the rise in construction materials and HTG’s land acquisition negotiations. Bradenton will also waive roughly $277,000 in impact fees.
Those requests earned unanimous support from the Bradenton City Council on Wednesday. Board members said they would gladly put money toward solving one of the area’s biggest issues — affordable housing.
“The need for attainable housing of any kind right now is our first priority,” said Councilman Patrick Roff.
“Keep building. Keep coming back. Keep asking us to help you,” Sanders said, emphasizing the city’s partnership with HTG as an affordable housing developer.
