Affordable Housing Seems A Tough Sell

Affordable housing seems a hard sell these days.

Dunedin Housing Authority is trying to spread word to area residents about four affordable housing units at the freshly renovated Fairway Gardens complex in Clearwater.

Board members said on Aug. 23 that not many people have looked at the Fairway Gardens units, although they have been vacant since May.

Dunedin housing officials at 30 and 110 Lady Mary Drive North, now known as Fairway Gardens, for $730,000 last November. It took six months and $150,000 to renovate them for public and affordable housing use. All 15 units designated for the public housing are full. Two residents are from Dunedin, housing spokeswoman Audra Butler said. Preference goes to Dunedin residents, she said.

Dunedin Housing Authority, which falls under the St. Petersburg Housing Authority, insists it has taken extra care to ensure high quality upgrades to the complex.

The one- and two-bedroom units start at $550 and feature wood and tile floors, fresh paint, updated cabinetry, new counter tops and an on-site laundry facility, according to the website.

The original interior paint job had to be redone, officials said on Aug. 23.

Dunedin Housing Authority received a $2,600 refund from a more than $48,000 agreement with Midway Services, the Clearwater-based contractor responsible for the complex's interior painting services.

“... Mainly due to issues with the poor quality of the painting work,” housing authority officials wrote in an Aug. 12 letter to Midway Services president Bill Wolf.

One affordable housing unit, Butler said, is still waiting for upgrades that will make it fully accessible for applicants with disabilities. That project is waiting on funds.

Dunedin’s former public and affordable housing units at Highlander Village were razed and sold to Habitat for Humanity about five years ago. It was all a move to create smaller, more ideal and sustainable arrangements for residents and communities, Butler explained in May.

“We would love to have Dunedin residents apply for the final four available apartments,” Butler said.

More info:

• Two-bedroom affordable housing units are $675 per month.
• One-bedroom affordable housing units are $550 per month.
• Rent includes trash, lawn care and pest control, according to the website.
• No application fee.
• Pet friendly.
• Check Availability.
• Call 727-217-7253, for income eligibility.