TAMPA — In response to the high demand for affordable housing, three Tampa natives are stepping up to the plate in Ybor City.

Dontavious Pittman, Kevin Johnson, and Ponce McNeal, who have been friends since childhood, are seeing their long-held vision come to fruition.

“I met Kevin at Tampa Bay Tech [High School],” said Dontavious Pittman. “We were both in the architecture program. We both wanted to do architecture, but we wanted to own businesses. I met Ponse back in middle school. He also went to Tampa Bay Tech and we have always talked about entrepreneurship.”

The trio now owns the Pittman Design Group which was just awarded a $3 million grant through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program to help fund the building of their affordable multi-family complex in Ybor City.

“We’ll do the work. We just need to be put in position,” said Johnson.

Tampa is actively seeking collaborations with private developers who share their commitment to addressing the affordable housing crisis. It's a crisis that Johnson believes has had an unequal impact on members of his community. He emphasizes the importance of having developers who are invested in the local area, as it benefits the community as a whole.

"This project is important for this area and just the city in general because it's keeping it true,” he said. “Allowing people that have spent all their lives here to remain in this area with new housing.” 

The new affordable housing complex is being built on the lot located at the intersection of Columbus Drive and 22nd Avenue.

“The location, the people that occupy it, they look like us. It’s super important to be able to give back to the community,” said McNeal.

The creation of 10 units is underway, and they will be solely offered to households with incomes that are 80% or less of the median income in this area. 

To be eligible, a family consisting of four members must have a combined household income that does not surpass $69,500.

The multi-family apartment complex is currently in the permitting phase and is expected to come online in about 18 months.

That dream is being realized just five miles from where these Tampa natives forged a lifelong friendship and commitment to the community they were raised in. 

Developers interested in joining the effort to create more affordable housing in Tampa now have another tool at their disposal.

The City of Tampa launched an interactive map where users can view city-owned lots available for affordable housing projects. 

The map was released ahead of the enactment of Florida's new law, known as the ‘Live Local Act’, which will make it easier and more financially attractive for affordable housing developments to enter the market.