Housing Opportunities For All
Helping residents find their place in St. Pete
Mayor Welch's Housing Opportunities For All Plan
Opportunity starts at home. The City of St. Petersburg has a comprehensive 10-year plan to address housing affordability through logical housing policies to help middle- and working-class residents in St. Pete.
The 'Housing Opportunities For All' plan aims to:
- Produce new affordable units
- Preserve existing affordable housing
- Protect tenants
Settle in St. Pete
Producing more affordable units to better meet the demand for housing in St. Pete
The City is committed to ensuring that residents can settle in St. Pete. Expanding housing programs, providing incentives to developers, and being strategic with funding and processes is the way to make accessible and affordable housing available to all. In addition to creating and preserving 3,200 more multi-family units, below are some ways the City is working towards increasing the housing supply in St. Pete.
LAUNCHING AND EXPANDING HOUSING PROGRAMS
- Helping 500 households purchase a single-family residential home, condominium, or townhome with the Purchase Assistance Program and the Affordable Single-Family Homeownership Program in the South St. Pete CRA.
- Promoting the preservation and development of 3,200 units of affordable housing citywide. Additionally, in the South St. Petersburg CRA, the Affordable Multifamily Housing Development Program and the Affordable Housing Redevelopment Loan Program help preserve and create new affordable units.
- Providing 150 single-family lots for construction of new affordable homes with the Lot Disposition Program.
- Initiated the Neighborhood Stabilization Program for the construction of affordable single-family residences.
FUNDING SUPPORT & INCENTIVES
- Provide new incentives that encourage developers to build 350 affordable units with the Workforce Housing Density Bonus Program.
- Established guidelines for the use of $15 million in Penny for Pinellas funding to assist developers in acquiring land to develop affordable housing.
- Instituted a process to reimburse developers of affordable single-family housing for the cost of constructing new sidewalks up to $4,000 per development.
- Reduced multi-family parking requirements for market-rate units, affordable units, affordable senior units, and units adjacent to high-frequency transit routes to reduce the cost of development and incentivize the construction of additional units.
- Reduced design requirements in the Land Development Regulations for construction of affordable single-family residences in the Neighborhood Traditional zoning districts to reduce the cost of development and incentivize the construction of additional units.
PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS
- Allowing more neighborhoods to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and create 400 units of additional housing.
- Changed the fees for zoning reviews and reduced fees for smaller homes and for workforce housing bonus applications.
- Established a Community Housing Policy Group to review and discuss affordable housing initiatives.
- Instituted an expedited permit review policy for affordable housing developments which provides for a 10-day initial permit review process.
- Amended the Downtown Zoning District bonus structure to prioritize the Workforce Housing bonus, to either provide on-site units or a payment in lieu that is then used to build new affordable units.
- Reduced multimodal fees for smaller residential units and for low-income units designated as a component of an affordable housing development incentive program.
- Established the new NTM-1 zoning category to allow a variety of housing types with up to 4 units on a standard lot along the city’s major corridors.
Progress in Action
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Stay in St. Pete
Preserving existing affordable housing so residents can grow roots in St. Pete
The City is working to preserve units and homes, making current properties more livable long term. These solutions will also help prevent residents from falling into homelessness.
PROVIDING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO RESIDENTS
- Helping 3,200 residents make repairs to their homes for safety or accessibility with the Housing Rehabilitation Assistance Program.
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Expanded the Rebates for Affordable Residential Rehabs Program, which has been successful in the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) for several years, to be available citywide.
- Helping residents with exterior and interior improvements on affordable housing in the South St. Petersburg (CRA) with Affordable Residential Property Improvement Grants.
- Beginning in 2023, the City will be assisting senior citizens that have lived in their homes for a long period of time but don’t have the income to make necessary repairs through a Replacement Housing Program. More information to come.
- Beginning in 2023, the City will be assisting heirs with navigating the complex and costly probate process to help them qualify for assistance programs and create generational wealth. More information to come.
MAKING CHANGES TO ZONING, PERMITTING, AND OTHER CITY PROGRAMS
- Allowing more neighborhoods to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and enabling residents to age in place.
- Expanding the Neighborhood Team, which performs free, basic home repairs and painting for low- and moderate-income homeowners.
Progress in Action
- In July 2022, the City expanded eligibility to allow accessory dwelling units (ADU) in more neighborhoods, increasing the housing supply. More information at www.stpete.org/adu.
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In June 2023, the City expanded the Rebates for Affordable Residential Rehabs Program, which has been successful in the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) for several years, to be available citywide. More information at www.stpete.org/homerebates.
Stable in St. Pete
Protecting tenants to ensure they have safe and secure housing
The City of St. Petersburg is committed to addressing the needs of residents who rent. This commitment has been made possible through the consistent efforts of City Council and federal legislation work. We protect tenants by ensuring housing is safe and discouraging evictions through strong tenant protections.
PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR TENANTS
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The Tenants Bill of Rights, which City Council made additions to in 2022, is no longer in effect in accordance with a new Florida state law. HB 1417, which governs residential tenancies, went into effect on July 1, 2023, pre-empting local governments from regulating landlord-tenant relationships. For more information, see HB 1417.
Although this is a setback, the City of St. Petersburg, Mayor Welch, and City Council remain committed to renters' rights and will continue our work towards providing support for renters in St. Pete.
- City Council is currently considering a Right to Counsel Program to aid tenants with legal issues related to renting.
- Upholding minimum property maintenance standards by giving tenants the ability to request an interior inspection from the Codes Compliance Assistance Department.
- Providing outreach and resources to tenants to help prevent evictions.
- Learn more about Renters' Rights here.