\u201cI\u2019m so excited because I know that progress takes time,\u201d Welch said. \u201cA lot of things had to happen with a lot of folks along the way for this vision to happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Tangerine Plaza provided the backdrop for Monday morning\u2019s groundbreaking ceremony.<\/p>\n
The city gifted the property, across 22nd Street South from the mostly dormant Tangerine Plaza site, to Habitat in 2024. Officials dedicated $2.18 million<\/a> from the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) to the project in June.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, Welch said the process to provide affordable housing at the site began under a former CRA, which lacked a tax increment financing mechanism. The city\u2019s total contribution, including the land, is roughly $3.6 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a special project because it addresses both housing affordability and homeownership, and therefore represents a pathway to stability, to economic opportunity and to long-term prosperity for the families who will soon call these townhomes home,\u201d Welch added. \u201cHomeownership is one of the most powerful tools we have for building generational wealth.\u201d <\/p>\n Pelican Place will feature eight buildings, each with five units. The community\u2019s two- and three-story townhomes will offer two-, three-, and four-bedroom floor plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Habitat candidates who meet income requirements, demonstrate a need for adequate shelter, complete a robust homebuyer education curriculum and invest 350 to 450 \u201csweat equity\u201d hours will receive a 0% fixed-rate mortgage. The organization caps closing costs at $2,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n CEO Mike Sutton previously told the city council that residents would pay around $1,200 monthly for their mortgage, homeowner\u2019s association fees, taxes and insurance. Welch said Monday that Habitat projects help ensure equitable growth and shared progress by addressing soaring living costs and preserving \u201cthe character of neighborhoods.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Sutton said attendees \u201cwouldn\u2019t be here on this property if it wasn\u2019t for the city.\u201d Habitat built 88 homes over the past year and will exceed 95 in 2025.<\/p>\n Sutton noted there is a \u201ccommon misconception about who Habitat homeowners are.\u201d He said they often earn \u201ctoo much for government assistance and too little for a traditional home loan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Habitat will soon open The Grove, an 11-unit townhome community about three blocks away<\/a> from Pelican Place. When pressed by the mayor, Sutton said the latter development would welcome its first residents in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n St. Petersburg is home to around 25% of all Habitat homes. The affiliate\u2019s coverage area now encompasses Pinellas County and the west coast of Pasco and Hernando Counties.<\/p>\n Sutton said Habitat has completed roughly 250 homes in South St. Petersburg. After the event, Council Chair Copley Gerdes stressed the importance of creating affordable housing, \u201cno matter where it is in the city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Habitat provided QR codes that directed attendees to an informational website. Gerdes sent two to West St. Petersburg constituents.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m a renter, and I have the opportunity to generationally build wealth with 0% down on a 0% mortgage, as a former financial advisor, those numbers don\u2019t get any better,\u201d he added. \u201cSo, it\u2019s attractive to anybody.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n From left: City Council Chair Copley Gerdes; Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders; Mayor Ken Welch; Councilmember Corey Givens Jr.; Mike Sutton, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside; and Chris Hackney, chair of the affiliate\u2019s board.<\/p>\n Tangerine Plaza<\/p>\n Gerdes also noted that The Grove, other projects along 22nd Street South and Tangerine Plaza\u2019s long-awaited redevelopment would increase area property values. He said encountering hurdles and delays \u201cdoesn\u2019t mean you should shift course.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you see the vision, you have to keep going towards the vision,\u201d Gerdes continued. \u201cYou don\u2019t change the vision in the middle, just because it\u2019s hard and it takes time. If you really thought about the vision, and that\u2019s the guiding light, then you have to keep going.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s where we\u2019re at on a lot of projects in St. Pete; it\u2019s not just Tangerine Plaza.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The city-owned strip mall housed the area\u2019s only grocery store until 2017. Sugar Hill Group, which submitted its first proposal for the embattled site in 2020, needs additional public funding and a one-year extension to meet city requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n In June 2024, council members approved offering the group 18 additional months to secure funding and a grocer in a 5-3 vote. The latest agreement will terminate Jan. 2 if they disapprove of another extension Thursday.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Pelican-Place-groundbreaking-1024x779.jpg\")
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