SPRINGFIELD — New affordable housing opportunities are around the corner for Bay County residents.
Slated to open this fall is Springfield Crossing, a three-building apartment complex available for lower-income residents that will boast 60 units, a fitness center, playground and clubhouse.
“As population growth in Florida continues to go up and up, the cost of living continues to go up, and incomes just have not been following suit,” said Brett Green, president of Archway Partners, a group spearheading the development alongside EIS Housing.
Although units will feature granite countertops, energy efficient appliances and washer and dryers, applicants will be accepted only if they they make less than 70% of the area median income. That is an amount Green said the Florida Housing Finance Corporation reports as $69,400 a year for a family of four.
He added that the complex will include 36 two-bedroom, two-bathroom units that will range from $690 a month to about $900, along with 24 three-bedroom, two-bathroom units, which will cost from $790 to $975.
“It’s going to look, smell and feel like any market-rate or luxury apartment community in the area, but we’re just going to be renting the units for a more affordable rate,” Green said.
Robert Carroll, chairman of the Bay County Commission, added that the need for affordable housing is a local problem that was ignited by Hurricane Michael — one that continues to linger more than two years after the Category 5 storm laid waste to the county.
“Projects like this are important to our recovery,” Carroll wrote in an email. “Ensuring that our citizens can afford to live and work here remains a priority for our area.”
According to Green, the development was funded through the Florida Housing Finance Corp. and the federal government’s disaster recovery program for Hurricane Michael.
