Springing Into More Housing Opportunities

Spring is in the air, and it’s an exciting time for the Dunedin Housing Authority (DHA). Our flagship property, Fairway Gardens Apartments, is fully leased up, and DHA is looking forward to creating more affordable housing options for eligible area residents.

Lorraine Leland Project

In partnership with the City of Dunedin and the Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County, DHA made a donation of two parcels of land in 2007 to the Pinellas County Land Trust for the development of an affordable, workforce housing project, known as the “Lorraine Leland Project.” By pooling resources and working together to define the community’s need, the agencies planned to construct 25 town home units for homeownership on the site, located on the northeast and southeast corners of Douglas Avenue and Lorraine Leland Street.

After a delay caused by the collapse of the real estate market, the project is now moving forward, with the groundbreaking planned for this July. The new homes will not be public housing, and no government subsidy will be available.

Town homes will range in size from 1,100 to 1,300 square feet and sell for approximately $120,000 to $160,000. They will be marketed to “hometown heroes,” including local hospital employees, school teachers, government employees or service workers. The construction of these town homes will breathe new life into the property and provide another housing option for working families.

In keeping with the City of Dunedin’s focus on green initiatives, Planet Green Group Project was selected as the site’s developer and plans to build net zero energy homes. They will use alternative energy forms, such as solar power, and will be built to green-certified. Because the land is part of the Community Land Trust — thanks to DHA’s donation — the land cost is being spread over a 99-year lease, which allows more flexibility to consider green initiatives.

Father’s Day 2012

Coming up this June, DHA will join with the Clearwater Housing Authority (CHA) and the St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) in celebrating Father’s Day as part of a national U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) initiative.

Modeled after a successful event organized by the New York City Housing Authority, the goal of Father's Day 2012 is to provide a venue to connect fathers with their children and also to introduce the fathers to local programs and services.

“Children with involved fathers grow up happier, healthier and better prepared to succeed in life,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, himself a father of two. “Yet every night, one-out-of-three American children goes to bed in a home without a father present. These events will bring fathers and their children together and connect the dads to the social and economic resources they need to be the best parents they can be.”

DHA, CHA and SPHA’s joint Father’s Day event is being planned for Saturday, June 16, and all housing authority residents will be invited.

Public Meetings

DHA also holds bi-monthly meetings of the Board of Commissioners at Dunedin City Hall, 542 Main Street, Dunedin, FL, to discuss housing authority operations and to set policy. All meetings are open to the public, and community members are encouraged to attend. Following is the meeting schedule for the remainder of the year:

• Tuesday, May 22, 2012, at 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 24, 2012, at 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, September 25, 2012, at 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 13, 2012, at 3:30 p.m.

We hope you will be part of the process as DHA continues to look for ways to build our housing inventory and to encourage our residents to reach self-sufficiency.