Tampa is closing in on Mayor Jane Castor’s pledge to create 10,000 affordable housing opportunities, a milestone city officials say keeps longtime residents in their homes.
Affordable housing efforts have been a focal point for the city under Castor’s tenure. The city highlighted the addition of more than 23,000 residential units since Castor’s first year in office in 2019, including more than 4,100 affordable housing units that have been completed and another 4,000 that are underway.
The city has also invested more than $100 million in affordable housing initiatives and housing assistance programs aimed at expanding access to housing while helping longtime residents remain in the communities they call home.
“Our approach to affordable housing has never been one-dimensional,” Castor said in a news release. “It’s about creating new housing opportunities, supporting developments in the pipeline, and helping residents stay safely and affordably in their homes as they age. Tampa’s growth must work for everyone.”
Major redevelopment projects including Rome Yards, West River, Marquee Square and North Downtown are expected to add affordable housing opportunities across Tampa. The city highlighted that more than 1,100 units will be added at the Army/Navy redevelopment site in North Downtown alone, with more than 700 of those secured for income-eligible households.
The city also highlighted work done to preserve existing homes, thus “allowing residents to age in place with dignity and safety.” That includes East Tampa resident Carlton Mallard, whose family home on Chipco Street received more than $147,000 in renovations through the city’s Housing Rehabilitation and Renovation Program (HRRP).
His father purchased the home in 1950, and Mallard lived there for decades without air conditioning and relied on boiling water for baths, according to the city. In 2025, electrical issues left him without power for four months after a blown fuse, and much of the previous work completed on the home had never been permitted.
Mallard recently returned to the home after the city completed extensive repairs. The renovation included a new roof, hurricane-impact windows and doors, updated electrical systems, complete plumbing replacement, bathroom renovations, new flooring and cabinets, lead paint remediation, HEPA cleaning, air conditioning and a hot water tank.
“Now Carlton Mallard can finally obtain homeowners insurance and continue living safely in the neighborhood his family has called home for generations,” Tampa Development and Economic Opportunity Administrator Abbye Feeley said. “This is what housing affordability looks like in practice.”
The HRRP provides financial assistance to income-qualified Tampa homeowners for repairs needed to maintain safe homes. The city is set to accept more applications starting in mid-June via its online portal.
