Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside is heavily investing in Pinellas County.
The organization closed on an eight-acre Largo property, located at 833 Wyatt Street, two weeks ago. One hundred affordable townhomes will be built on the land.
Habitat creates projects for individuals and families that earn less than 80% of the Area Median Income. The nonprofit sells these homes to qualified buyers, who pay a 0% APR mortgage (no interest).
The site – once used by the First Assembly of God Church of Clearwater – was acquired for $4.75 million from the American Collegiate Academy.
It is near Habitat’s Longlake Preserve 54-unit townhome community, a five-phase project currently under construction (1756 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue). The fourth phase is scheduled to be completed in December.
“There’s not a lot of large parcels left in Pinellas County that are not developed,” said Habitat president and CEO Mike Sutton. “What was attractive about this site was that we would be able to build out a site plan to maximize density but also provide a nice finished product.”
He added that the area is “pretty heavy with rental.” Since Habitat focuses only on home ownership, the opportunity to offer more housing units in Largo was a key factor in the acquisition.
The organization plans to begin construction on the site in late 2026. Sutton said the project will likely be completed in five or six phases. The first phase should be done by early 2027.
The homes will be approximately 1,500 square feet each.
Habitat is currently selecting a design team for the project. and Sutton hopes to have a final candidate by the end of the year.
“We’re consistently seeing families that are priced out of our community. They’re paying an absorbent amount of their monthly income towards rent and they’re struggling to make ends meet,” Sutton said.
The project will give these families and individuals an opportunity to “anchor themselves in our community.”
Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside website