Rendering of Cannery Row

Cannery Row at Redland Crossing, our planned 112-unit senior housing rental community in the Naranja neighborhood north of Homestead, received $3.5M Miami-Dade Documentary Stamp Surtax Program funding in November. This financing — derived from an additional levy on documents that transfer interests in Florida real property — closes the remaining gap in Rural Neighborhood’s $33M, LIHTC-financed project.

Cannery Row’s 7-story, 1- and 2-BR design located on the South Dade TransitWay Corridor is our first Transportation Oriented Development (TOD) and tallest structure to date. The corridor is 20 miles in length and connects numerous municipalities which represent some of the fastest growing communities in Miami Dade County. Site plan approval and building permits are moving forward toward an expected July 2020 groundbreaking.

Construction underway at Esperanza site

Rural Neighborhoods’ Eden Park-Esperanza Place Neighborhood Revitalization effort has led to a successful rebuilding approach. Esperanza Place PUD, a 32-acre parcel acquired by RN in 2015 and freshly entitled for new real estate development, serves as a launching pad for new neighborhood projects. 

Instead of building out the parcels itself, RN identified neighborhood needs, e.g. new homeownership and domestic violence services, and recruited partners by offering below-market land and improved infrastructure.  Enter partners Habitat for Humanity and The Shelter for Abused Women and Children. Each project is underway: the initial 12 of 59 Habitat homes are rising from foundations.  Just next door, The Shelter’s 32 beds for domestic violence and human trafficking victims also are taking shape.  Together, Esperanza Place is the setting for an improved EP² neighborhood.

Deer Creek Site Plan

Step one helping 174 households age 55 and older enjoy new affordable housing was successful as Florida Housing Finance Corporation allocated tax credits for Rural Neighborhoods’ Deer Creek Senior Housing in Gainesville and Cannery Row at Redlands Crossing in Naranja.  These new, planned rental communities of 72 and 112 units, respectively, are part of RN’s expanded mission to reach beyond agricultural workers and their communities to serve other economically marginalized individuals.  

The challenge to bring affordable housing back to the Panama City area after Hurricane Michael devastated communities, triggered the need to find innovative solutions and learn from best practices from others who have endured the same process.

Speakers from government and nonprofit organizations shared their experiences on housing recovery after disasters.

On June 11, HUD led a disaster recovery best practices symposium with approximately 120 attendees from local and state government officials, developers, nonprofits, housing authorities, USDA, FEMA and housing stakeholders; all gathered to hear about the recovery experiences of groups from across Florida and the U.S. The effort was organized in collaboration with the Florida Housing Coalition and with sponsorship provided by Fannie Mae and NeighborWorks America.

Stories of creative approaches to funding, innovative housing models, and partnership strategies were shared through a series of presentations followed by roundtable discussions and a networking reception. Attendees remarked on the excitement generated by the stories they heard and the opportunity to connect with other organizations and had specific requests for additional information and assistance to help move forward with housing recovery in Florida. They also highlighted the need to listen to the community to find out what would improve their quality of life after being displaced by a natural disaster.