Ability Housing broke ground last week on Village at Hyde Park, an $18 million multifamily affordable housing development at 6480 Watergate Lane in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the Westside.
The project will consist of 80 apartment units – 43 one-bedrooms, 23 two-bedrooms, and 14 three-bedrooms – within a single three-story building. Amenities will include a computer lab and library, storage space, a conference room, laundry rooms, an outdoor playground, and bike storage.
25% of the building’s units will be accessible for those with mobility limitations, and 10% will be specifically designed for those with hearing or vision limitations.
Ability Housing purchased the property last year for $450,000. The Florida-based nonprofit organization has developed a handful of other affordable housing communities in Jacksonville and Orlando. It focuses on addressing homelessness, particularly among families.
Construction is expected to take about a year and will be managed by Sauer Incorporated, with Forum Architecture & Interior Design providing the design.
The project will help fill the major gaps in quality affordable housing available in Jacksonville. As of National Low Income Housing Coalition’s most recent study of the city in 2016, Jax had around 60,000 fewer affordable housing units available for rent than it needed to meet residents’ needs.
Along with fellow developer The Vestcor Companies’ Lofts at Monroe, LaVilla, and Jefferson Station projects, Village at Hyde Park’s groundbreaking represents a renewed interest in chipping away at that deficit and providing for some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
