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<\/p>\nReligious leaders, elected officials and housing advocates describe Zion Village as an answered prayer for low-income seniors in the region.<\/p>\n
The 75-unit apartment complex was built on two acres of land owned by the nearby Mt. Zion AME Church in Riverview. <\/p>\n
Fifteen units offer below-market rent, at $1,063, for seniors. The remaining 60 units accept project-based vouchers, which subsidize rent at 30 percent of tenants’ income through the Tampa Housing Authority and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. <\/p>\n
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Courtesy of Claudia Terrell<\/p>\n
Religious leaders, housing developers and elected officials smile during a ribbon-cutting outside Zion Village senior apartments on Tuesday, Feb. 24.<\/p>\n
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the complex on Tuesday, Bishop Marvin Zanders II opened with prayer and praise for the project. <\/p>\n
“Oh blessed Jehovah, we dedicate Zion Village to you. May these homes be more than structure of brick and mortar. Let them be … havens of dignity for our cherished seniors,” he said. <\/p>\n
The $33.5 million project, which broke ground in 2024, was a collaborative effort between Hillsborough County, the Tampa Housing Authority, Smith & Henzy Affordable Group and other partners. <\/p>\n
ALSO READ: A Riverview church is building senior housing with county funds <\/a><\/p>\n The project received $6.8 million from Hillsborough County. That includes $2.8 million from the county’s HOPE affordable housing fund, which has since been dissolved<\/a>.<\/p>\n Zion Village is now the second affordable housing complex of its kind in the county. <\/p>\n In 2025, an all-affordable, 100-unit apartment complex, Casa Bel-Mar, opened in South Tampa at a site purchased by Bel-Mar Presbyterian Church. <\/p>\n Leroy Moore, senior vice president of the Tampa Housing Authority, said the model of building on church-owned land works well in the greater Tampa Bay region, where land is scarce. <\/p>\n “One of the biggest starting points in trying to do a deal like this is finding the site, finding the land. Faith-based organizations control a lot of land,” he said. <\/p>\n Last year, state lawmakers passed new rules, nicknamed YIGBY, or Yes In God’s Backyard, that empower religious institutions to build affordable housing <\/a>on their property to address local needs. <\/p>\n