CONTACT:

Dave Metz, Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Services.
727-892-5024

Stephanie Lampe, Housing & Community Development,
727-892-5563

Jamestown Apartments Office: 727-893-7324

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CITY DEDICATES NEW APARTMENTS AT JAMESTOWN

St. Petersburg, Fla. (April 1, 2008) – Today, the city of St. Petersburg dedicated 21 new housing units at the Jamestown Apartments and Townhouses complex in Methodist Town. The new apartments – one, two and three bedroom units – encompass four buildings, and were built with $4.8 million in federal, state and local funds.

The first Jamestown Apartments were dedicated in 1976. The complex was developed after local teens in the neighborhood, organized as the Black Brothers and Sisters Association, lobbied city government to develop new and affordable housing in the Methodist Town neighborhood. A civil rights activist, Chester James, Sr., carried the group’s message to City Council and obtained support and funding to create the development. Jamestown was named in honor of Mr. James.

“We are enthusiastic about today’s Jamestown expansion and the completion of more affordable housing in St. Petersburg,” said Mayor Rick Baker. “I’d like to express my thanks for the efforts of those whose vision and determination decades ago led to the original development of Jamestown.”

Jamestown Apartments and Townhouses are managed by the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development. With the addition of the 21 new units, there are a total of 76 Units on the site, with rents ranging from $470 to $795 per month. The new units will be affordable to families earning 60% of the area median income (no more than $23,760 for a single person and no more than $33,900 for a family of four).

New units at the complex have a highly efficient energy star compliant roofing system, air conditioning and energy star appliances. Applications for prospective tenants will be accepted in mid April. Interested tenants should contact the Jamestown Apartments Office at 727-893-7324. The new floor plans will be posted on the city’s web site shortly and the existing floor plans and photos are available at http://www.stpete.org/housing/jamestown.htm.

Deputy Mayor Goliath Davis, III, who grew up in Methodist Town and was a member of the Black Brothers and Sisters Association, said, “The opening of these new units are another point on a continuum of progress that we are seeing more and more frequently in Midtown. Every day, there’s new businesses, new housing, new services. As Mayor Baker frequently says, it is truly another great day for St. Petersburg.

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