Daniel Figueroa IV
The St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve $2 million in redevelopment funds for improvements at historic Jordan Park.
The decision helps move forward long-delayed redevelopment plans for Florida’s oldest federal public housing project.
Jordan Park was built on St. Pete’s southside between 1939 and 1941 and named for Elder Jordan Sr., a prominent Black developer and civic leader. The last major renovations came when much of the original property was replaced in 2000. But little work has been done since.
The St. Petersburg Housing Authority took over Jordan Park in 2016 with hopes of redeveloping it, but controversies over funding, relocating families, and more caused delays.
The $93.3 million project will renovate 206 current units with new roofing, plumbing, electrical, floors and windows. It will also see the demolition of 31 units in the senior village, replacing them with 60 new senior units in a three-story building.
The city’s contribution is a small portion of the overall price tag. Most comes from nearly $40 million in bonds approved earlier this year by the Pinellas County Commission. Other funding comes from the city’s housing authority loans and tax credits.
Michael Lundy is the CEO of the Housing Authority. He said the renovation portions will be done in two phases to allow some residents to stay on property and transition into renovated units when phase two work begins.
He said 63 of 90 families have been relocated so far.
“We’ve Identified suitable housing choices for those (remaining) families,” Lundy said. “We anticipate within two and a half to three weeks, we’ll have the remaining families out for phase one.”
The city’s contribution also requires preference be given to local companies for the project and job opportunities be directed toward residents of the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area.
The money will be transferred in two $1 million payments. The second payment is conditionally based on exterior wall completion at the new senior village and a report on the location and condition of displaced residents.
