City of St. Petersburg Exceeds Goals for Creating and Preserving 3,200 Multi-Family Units

City of St. Petersburg Exceeds Goals for Creating and Preserving 3,200 Multi-Family Units at Halfway Point of 10-Year Housing Opportunities for All Plan

June 25, 2026 - Under Mayor Kenneth T. Welch's leadership, the City of St. Petersburg has exceeded targets and goals for creating and preserving 3,200 multi-family units within the first half of the 10-year Housing Opportunities for All Plan. To date, 1,091 multi-family units have been completed, and 2,452 units are in progress.

"Creating better housing opportunities for all benefits our entire community. I'm proud that the City of St. Petersburg continues to exceed the ambitious targets and goals we've set through our Housing Opportunities for All plan," said Mayor Kenneth T. Welch. "While we're encouraged by this progress, we remain committed to expanding access to safe, attainable housing for residents at every income level. We'll continue building on this momentum because ensuring more people can afford to call St. Pete home is essential to our city's future and our vision for inclusive progress."

The City's Housing and Neighborhood Services department provided this update on the progress of the Housing Opportunities for All Plan at a recent Housing, Land Use and Transportation City Council Committee meeting. The presentation provided updates about the city's housing and rental markets, units created to date, and units in progress.

Housing Opportunities for All Plan Presentation Highlights:

• The City increased its local housing unit production by 40% from 2024 to 2025. In 2025, the City had a net annual increase of 2,012 units produced. The strongest growth was in multi-family units of five or more, but single-family homes are also being built.

• Multi-Family Homes: The City's goal through the Housing Opportunities for All Plan is to create and preserve 3,200 multi-family homes. To date, 1,091 units have been completed and 2,452 units are in progress.

• Live Local Units: Following the passage of the Live Local legislation in 2024, Mayor Welch established a goal to create 1,000 units through this legislation. To date, 432 units are in progress.

• Non-Subsidized Workforce Density Bonus Units: The City's goal is to provide 350 non-subsidized workforce density bonus units. To date, 173 have been completed and 109 are in progress.

• New Construction ADUs: Interest in Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) continues to grow throughout the City. The City aims to build 400 ADU units through the Housing Opportunities for All plan. To date, 324 units have been completed and 50 units are in progress.

• New Construction Single-Family Affordable Homes: The City sees homeownership as an important strategy for wealth generation. To support that strategy, the City has a goal to use City-owned land to create 150 homeownership opportunities through programs like the affordable lot disposition program and building affordable townhomes. To date, 77 homes have been completed and 180 homes are in progress.

• Tenant Assistance: The City has various programs intended to assist tenants. Through these programs, the City has a goal to assist 25,000 tenants citywide. To date, 17,927 tenants have benefitted from City-supported programs.

• Homeowner Assistance to Keep Single-Family Homes: The City has various programs intended to assist homeowners. These programs include the Housing Rehabilitation Assistance Program, which provides funding to residents needing repairs to their homes for code compliance, health issues, safety, and/or accessibility. Through these programs, the City has a goal to assist 3,200 homeowners. To date, 2,229 homeowners have benefitted from City-supported programs.

• Single-Family Home Purchase Assistance: The City supports home purchase assistance for single-family homes and has a goal to assist 500 homeowners. To date, 441 homeowners have received assistance and 2,318 potential homeowners have attended the First Time Homebuyer education classes.

Multi-Family Units Production Highlights:

• In 2025, the City created or preserved a total of 209 multi-family units. 804 multi-family units are currently under construction.

• Producing and preserving units for low to moderate incomes is a priority for the City. We continue to focus our work on units for 80% AMI and below.

• 72% of all units are 80% AMI and below

• 46% of all units are 60% AMI and below

• Majority of units are new, 15% are preserved

A copy of the presentation is available in the June 11, 2026, Housing, Land Use, and Transportation Committee agenda beginning on page 7: https://cms5.revize.com/revize/stpete/2026-06-11%20HLUT%20Agenda%20Packet.pdf?t=202606051411380&t=202606051411380

A recording of the presentation is available here: https://www.stpete.org/government/meetings___agendas/recorded_city_meetings.php

About Mayor Welch's Housing Opportunities For All Plan

To address St. Pete's growth and rising housing costs, Mayor Welch launched the Housing Opportunities For All Plan in April 2023. The plan is an expansion of the City's existing 10-year Housing Opportunities for All Plan. Enhancements to the plan include support for renters, financial assistance for residents to preserve existing affordable housing and make properties livable for longer, and incentives and strategic funding to produce more affordable units in St. Pete. More about the plan can be found at stpete.org/AffordableHousing

About Mayor Welch's Housing Opportunities For All Pillar For Progress

Housing affordability is a linchpin in Mayor Welch's agenda. Better housing opportunities for all raise the level of daily living and pride among residents, create strong neighborhoods and intentional equity, and create a community - not just a place to eat and sleep. Affordable housing programs provide greater incentives for qualified buyers to achieve first-time home ownership and encourage developers to construct more new housing for low- and moderate-income homeowners. More information can be found at stpete.org/pillars