Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Flagler Village to grow with affordable housing for seniors
Fort Lauderdale – Fort Lauderdale’s trendy Flagler Village could be getting more affordable — at least for seniors.
A new affordable housing project for families with at least one resident older than 55 and seniors is planned for the neighborhood. Pending building permits, Village View is expected to break ground in December at 640 N. Andrews Ave.
Developer Housing Trust Group was spurred by the success of its similar Village Place, built nearby in 2015.
Village View, on less than 1 acre, will have 100 units. It will have one- and two-bedroom apartments, in a seven-story building and amenities include a swimming pool.
Rent will range from $402 to $1,236.
Both projects require residents to meet income requirements, generally capped at $47,180 for a family of two. A family of one could earn no more than $41,300, but units will be set aside for families earning much less.
Flagler Village, is a 270-acre section bordered by Sunrise Boulevard south to Broward Boulevard, and Federal Highway west to the railroad tracks.
A trendy nightlife village branding itself the next Wynwood, it’s best known for new construction catering to the young and hip — and old, decaying warehouses being converted into pieces of art with “cool and creative tenants.”
Real estate agents said rent for the new apartments generally hovers about $2,000 a month for a one-bedroom studio to $3,000 a month for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment.
Developer Charlie Ladd, one of the pioneer developers in Flagler Village, said while the vision is for high-income “hip” 30-somethings, much of the area is “not so edgy” and a “mainstream urban community.”
“Everybody wants to see more affordable and if we can add this kind of project, [there’s a] more diverse group of people,” he said.
Matthew Rieger, Housing Trust Group’s president and CEO, said the demand for affordable housing for seniors is “unmet” and after this project will continue to look “for more available land.”
“In my lifetime we’ll never meet the demand for affordable housing,” he said.
Rieger said the need for homes that people can actually afford is an issue nationwide and it’s “more acute in urban areas.”
Commissioner Steve Glassman, who represents the area, said he expects the new project for seniors to be in high demand for “the same reason that attracts all ages to that area — it’s a very vibrant place to be.”
“I don’t think it matters what age you are to [want to] have walkability, to go to art galleries, to be able to go to a neighborhood tavern and listen to some music and have a drink. I think what works for the younger folks works for all ages,” he said.