Tampa to get $38 million for housing project

The city will get federal money to jump-start a stalled affordable-housing project.

Backers of the Encore project, a public-private venture to redevelop the former Central Park Village public housing complex, received word Thursday that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has approved $38 million in funding for the project to pay for infrastructure improvements, such as building roads and sewer systems.

"It's been a long and difficult road, but we are finally back on track to get this project done," said Jerome Ryans, president and CEO of the Tampa Housing Authority, which is partnered with the Bank of America on the downtown redevelopment project.

The $425 million project was approved in June 2006, and a year later, the Central Park Village apartments were demolished. The vacant site has been idle as officials struggled to secure federal and state funding needed for road, sewer and other improvements.

The former housing property had about 1,300 residents in about 380 apartments, all of whom were relocated either to other public housing or federally subsidized homes.

Plans call for 667 affordable-housing rental units and more than 600 market-rate condos. Eight more buildings - including a grocery store, hotel and market-rate condominiums -have been proposed for the 143-acre site. Most would be built by private developers.

The venture also includes the acquisition and rehabilitation of more than 120 vacant or foreclosed residential properties in the area, as well as an expansion of down-payment assistance and loan initiatives to help families, according to city and bank officials.

The project's backers have said it would boost Tampa's economy by creating thousands of jobs -- both short-term construction jobs and hundreds of permanent positions.

But the project has been delayed by series of setbacks, including a court challenge last year that held up the use of redevelopment funds for hundreds of projects statewide.

More recently, backers were dealt a blow in August after learning they had been turned down for a share of Florida's affordable housing credits, for the third year in a row.

Ryans said it will likely take several months for the infrastructure work to begin and he expects construction of the housing complexes to get underway shortly after that.

Encore, and its buildings, streets and other amenities, are named after iconic recording legends and musical terminology, a nod to the area's history of showcasing such greats as James Brown, Ray Charles and others during segregation. Officials also are planning to refurbish Perry Harvey Sr. Park and convert a church into a black history museum.

Encore is just one piece of the sprawling urban revitalization project from Interstate 275 to Nuccio Parkway, between Cass Street and the Interstate 4 interchange.

The award is part of $2 billion in federal grants dolled out by the federal housing agency nationwide. Overall, Florida received $348 million, more than any other state.

"Redeveloping this neighborhood will bring a new sense of hope to our community," said Rep. Kathy Castor, who worked with the project's backers to secure the federal funding.