Plans are underway for a Pinellas School housing project near Mirror Lake in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. Recently, the School Board of Pinellas County issued a Request for Proposals(RFP) to solicit competitive bids for the project.
The Pinellas School housing project has become a priority due to the shortage of workforce housing for teachers and staff members. Therefore, the School’s Board intends to convert the former 3-story Tomlinson Adult Learning Center building into affordable rental units. This development will take place on a 1.36-acre site, located at 296 Mirror Lake Drive.
Search for the Pinellas School housing project development partner
The school district is currently searching for a developer to form an equitable public-private partnership with. According to the Associate Superintendent of Schools, Clint Herbic, the selected developer will be responsible for setting the rent prices.
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He pointed out that the county would also take this into consideration when selecting a developer through the RFP process. Based on some preliminary estimates, Herbic expects the housing project to hold as many as 200 units and a parking lot.
The deadline to submit proposals for the Pinellas School housing project has been set for February 2023.
Conditions for and shortlisting of the prospective partner
The school board also included other conditions to the RFP such as a 50-year lease on the property. Additionally, the developer must build the maximum number of workforce housing units allowed for occupancy at the lowest possible rent.
After the deadline for submitting the proposals elapses, an evaluation committee will shortlist responses by mid-February in 2023. The committee will later provide the final ranking by March 2023.
Superintendent Kevin Hendrick also spoke favorably about the Pinellas School housing project. He said although Pinellas County is highly desirable for living and working, it has very few areas to develop housing.
Hendrick mentioned that the community needs to be proactive in providing attainable and appealing housing alternatives to attract the best teachers.
