Three Pinellas County Housing Authority Communities named “2013 Community of the Year” by the Bay Area Apartment Association

This month, the Bay Area Apartment Association (BAAA) named three residential apartment communities owned and managed by the Pinellas County Housing Authority (PCHA) as “2013 Community of the Year”.

East Lake Club Apartments, located at 150 E. Lake Club Drive in Oldsmar, is a beautiful market rate affordable property boasting 240 apartment homes. The community provides workforce housing with units designed for comfort in a setting of natural beauty and serene lake views. East Lake Club Apartments won the 2013 Conventional Community of the Year in the 151-300 unit category.

Lakeside Terrace Apartments, located at 4200 62nd Avenue N. in Pinellas Park is a public housing community of 110 apartment homes. Built in 1973, the community is very well maintained and is indistinguishable from non-assisted affordable housing. Lakeside Terrace won the BAAA’s Affordable Community of the Year in the under 150 units category.

Norton Apartments at Lake Bellevue, located at 1450 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. S. in Clearwater, won the Major Rehab Community of the Year. The community won first place among renovated properties with less than 150 units. Norton was purchased out of bankruptcy by PCHA in 2011 when the property was unsafe and in a state of complete disrepair. Through partnerships with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County, the City of Clearwater, the U.S. Department of Energy, Gulfcoast Legal Services, Carlton Fields, P.A., and the residents themselves, the Pinellas County Housing Authority has done extensive renovation to the community, preserving the housing assistance, and recently earning a HUD inspection score of 97A. Prior to PCHA’s ownership the property received a failing score of 41C with numerous health and safety violations. Renovations to the property are approximately 90% complete.

“We are extremely proud of our outstanding staff who are dedicated to maintaining our communities in good condition” said PCHA’s executive director Debra Johnson.

For more information about these and other PCHA residential communities, please visit PCHA’s website at www.pinellashousing.com and www.eastlakeclub.com.