Greenlawn Manor: New Smyrna Beach affordable senior housing project underway

NEW SMYRNA BEACH — Since its founding more than 70 years ago, the New Smyrna Beach Housing Authority has built some affordable housing projects dedicated to senior citizens, all of which ultimately became mixed-use properties.

But that's about to change. Work is underway for Greenlawn Manor, a three-story building with 80 individual living units that will give a new face to the city's historic westside neighborhood.

City and county officials, project developers and partners gathered at 600 Greenlawn St. on Friday, the site of the project, for a groundbreaking ceremony.

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The $23 million project was made possible due to a low-income housing tax credit application from the New Smyrna Beach Housing Authority to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, which was approved in 2019.

According to the Housing Authority's website,126 public housing units have been built over the years in the city since the agency's creation in 1950.

Teresa Pope, executive director of the city's Housing Authority, said the project comes at a time when the city's senior residents are especially in need of affordable housing.

“It’s the only senior project in New Smyrna Beach right now,” Pope said. “It’s desperate for the seniors, because right now our one-bedroom rents are ranging from about $1,000 to $1,200 a month, and most of our seniors only get between $700 and $900 a month in social security.”

The rents for the new building have not yet been determined.

The project is divided in two phases. The first will be the demolition and disposition of the existing Greenlawn Terrace property and the construction of the new Greenlawn Manor.

The Greenlawn Terrace property was built in 1954 as an affordable housing project itself, though not designed exclusively for seniors. The property was deemed obsolete by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2019. Greenlawn Terrace residents have relocated after receiving housing vouchers as part of the city's Section 8 voucher program.

When the first phase is complete (in approximately 18 months), phase t will involve another tax credit application from the Housing Authority for a similar project consisting of 80 units of workforce housing right next door at 500 Brooks St.

Greenlawn Manor will offer 65 one-bedroom units and 15 two-bedroom units, along with other amenities, such as offices and community rooms, Pope said.

“It’s exciting,” Pope said. “It’s going to be a three-story high-rise with elevators — it’s going to be the first building of its kind in the westside historic neighborhood. The whole neighborhood, the city, the county and all the partners are very excited to have this coming into our area.”

This is the first low-income tax credit that the city’s Housing Authority has received. The city pledged in 2018 to provide $425,000 for the first phase of the project.

New Smyrna Beach Mayor Russ Owen paid tribute to those who have worked the past few years behind the scenes to make the project a reality.

“When I see projects like this — and we’ll come back in a little while for the ribbon-cutting — I’m always reminded that you don’t get to this without the hard work, dedication and countless hours of a lot of people who don’t get to stand up here and give you some great speech,” Owen said.

Owen said he believes Greenlawn Manor will be a good project for the city and he hopes similar projects will take place in New Smyrna Beach.

Planting the seed for redeveloping the neighborhood

The Housing Authority partnered with Fortis Development to design the project. Joe Chambers, the firm’s representative in the project, said getting the financing was the biggest challenge since the idea first started more than three years ago.

“We had many meetings with city officials, as well as with the neighborhood,” Chambers said. “Going through the whole process it’s never a ‘Hey, just trust me’ thing. It took us a year of community building.”

The need for more living facilities like Greenlawn Manor is on the county's radar, Volusia County Councilman Danny Robins said.

“When demand outpaces the supply, this is exactly the stuff that’s needed,” Robins said.

He said it is especially important in this case that the elderly in the community are receiving help, but added that affordable housing projects are important to help residents of all ages in need.

“It’s a trend now, and it’s getting a lot of attention now because there’s mechanisms in place for it to work,” Robbins said. “These programs are setting people up for long-term success.”

Robins added: “It’s tough, no matter where you try to attack this problem from. It’s not just here in Volusia County; this is everywhere — this is statewide and countrywide.”

Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, echoed Robins’ thoughts and congratulated the city and the Housing Authority on their efforts.

“This is a great step in addressing the critical problem of affordable housing, which is being faced not only here in Volusia County but throughout our entire state,” Wright said.

The senator added that the city is lucky to have had a housing authority since 1950 serving its residents.

“It’s commendable work during this time when affordable is almost an oxymoron," Wright said. "Affordable housing is becoming more and more out of the reach of the average individuals. I’m extremely proud to have been asked here today, and I admire all the hard work that the Housing Authority has done to provide this for the citizens of New Smyrna Beach.”

Chambers said the project is about rebuilding the neighborhood overall, and the best way to get support for phase two and future projects is to get first phase right.

“We’ve been talking about this for over three years now — it takes a while to garner the support,” he said. “There’s a lot more to go. We’ve got to finish this in 18 months, and hopefully in 18 months we’re talking about scheduling the groundbreaking for phase two next door.

“This is planting the seed for the redevelopment of the neighborhood.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: New Smyrna Beach breaks ground on affordable senior housing project