Affordable Housing!

BY MAGGIE OLIVE KLEIN

KONKLIFE STAFF WRITER 

As many of you may know, on January 18th, a referendum regarding affordable housing for Key West citizens was approved! So, what exactly does this mean? Well, the property in question is part of the 33-acre Truman Waterfront parcel that was conveyed to the City of Key West from the Navy in 2002. Mayor Teri Johnston explained that she and others have been working for years to get to the point where they can add housing to the area, as it was originally conveyed for the benefit of the citizens of Bahama Village. 

Johnston states, “We have lost a lot of community as a result of people having to leave Bahama Village based on home ownership cost, and cost of living in Key West in general.” This issue has led the community to become fragmented, and those in charge of the City have made it their mission to establish some of the land as affordable housing. The effort to do so was delayed due to an obligation by a past city commissioner to maintain the soccer field of the area, which was located on 3.2 acres. Finally, there is a new soccer field up and running at the Truman waterfront, which enabled the City to go forward with the affordable housing project. 

After meeting with community members many times, Johnston explains that the top need is affordable housing. Their secondary need is the lack of home ownership opportunities in Bahama Village, because of the cost of new construction in the City. Johnston states, “We decided to put out a request for qualifications for organizations to build affordable rentals and home ownership.” After working out the fine details with different companies that addressed the request, the project became a 99 year lease for affordable housing. And as of January 18th, the referendum was approved, and the project became viable! 

The City now has a builder, and is moving forward to determine the specific needs of Bahama Village. There will be 126 units of affordable housing: 28 will be home ownership, and the rest will be home rentals. “This couldn’t have come at a better time. Affordable housing is our biggest issue based on cost!” Johnston says, after being asked about the timing of the project. She explains that the priority of ownership and rental opportunities will be given to residents of Bahama Village, which will be accomplished through a marketing program. Johnston says that they want to keep locals in the area, in order to maintain the fabric of Key West by keeping “locals local”. 

Johnston and her team have also been running home ownership classes, so as to make sure that the people who apply for home ownership are successful at it. They are running programs on how to budget, understand credit scores, maintain the unit, understand insurance issues, and many other necessary courses in order to be the best owner one can be. Johnston states, “The land is right on Truman waterfront, which provides livers with wonderful views, activities, and opportunities.” Best part? If you ask me, it’s the available parking! This is a very exciting addition to an already amazing place. 

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