ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — St. Augustine is one of the more expensive areas on the First Coast, but with an economy heavily dependent on tourism, affordable housing options are hard to come by. The nonprofit Ability Housing hopes to provide some relief for people looking for affordable options.
It's called the Villages of New Augustine, located just 2 miles west of downtown St. Augustine. This apartment community is quickly rising, and aims to be an answer for people in search of affordable housing options near downtown.
"As you can see we have beautiful buildings," said Ability Housing President Shannon Nazworth while giving a tour of the site to First Coast News.
Right now it's under construction, but by the spring Nazworth and Ability Housing plan to welcome 92 families into an apartment complex that she hopes becomes a cornerstone of the community.
"This property and this development is part of the vision this neighborhood had for its redevelopment," said Nazworth, "so that we could help the neighborhood and their community achieve their own vision for this neighborhood, we're so excited."
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, someone working a minimum wage job in St. Johns County would need to work 92 hours a week to afford a one bedroom apartment there.
"People have a preconceived notion about what affordable housing means and really we're talking about police, firemen, teachers," said Nazworth.
While windows have been installed, this is still clearly a construction site. However, Nazworth said this project became even more important for the area after a massive 600-home neighborhood was voted down by County Commissioners last week.
Nazworth said some of the apartments will be priced at 33% of the Area Median Income and the rest will be at 60% AMI, which means some families could pay roughly between $600-$1,000 per month in rent; a price structure she said is necessary for people like teachers and the service industry.
"Right now many of them live in Putnam County and are commuting in," said Nazworth. "Eventually, they're going to decide to work in Putnam County and we will be losing essential workers that we need in our community."
Nazworth also said that these apartments and the attached community center will help this area of West Augustine continue to grow.
“It's going to have exercise rooms and community rooms and lots of facilities for the residents and we're going to open it up for the neighborhood, so we're really part of the neighborhood and not separated from it," said Nazworth.
Ability Housing will host community meetings later this fall prior to accepting applications for the Villages of New Augustine. They expect people to be able to move in by spring of 2025. More information on Ability Housing and this project can be found here: https://abilityhousing.org/2024/01/10/ability-housing-breaks-ground-on-villages-of-new-augustine/