Pensacola declares Malcolm Yonge Gym site open to non-profit affordable housing land trust
The former Malcolm Yonge Gym property is officially under consideration to become an affordable housing site with a community land trust.
The Pensacola City Council voted 6-1 on Thursday to officially declare the Malcolm Yonge Gym site as surplus property and start the 30-day notice period required for the mayor to enter negotiations with any "community land trust non-profit organization" to turn the property into affordable housing.
During the 30-day window, any non-profit community land trust can now contact the city to express interest in the property, but only one community land trust exists in the area: the Northwest Florida Community Land Trust.
The preference for a project approved by the council on Thursday said the affordable housing proposal should include at least 51% of the property as affordable for households making 80% of the area median income or less, and the rest of the property should classified as "workforce housing" that is affordable for households making between 80% and 120% of the area median income.
Malcolm Yonge: Pensacola looks to build workforce housing at Malcolm Yonge Gym site
Under the latest figures for the Pensacola area, the median income for a two-person household is $72,000. So, a two person-household would qualify for the 80% AMI housing if their combined income was $57,600 or less.
Previous discussions have indicated that the city would want 12 to 14 homes built on the property.
More specific details about what exactly will be built on the property will emerge through negotiations with the mayor's office and the Northwest Florida Community Land Trust.
The City Council will also have to approve the final agreement before the project can begin.
Not everyone was on board. Four members of the public spoke in opposition to the project and had spoke previously in opposition to tearing down the Malcolm Yonge Gym.
Land trust: Pensacola looks to build workforce housing at Malcolm Yonge Gym site
Former Councilwoman Sherri Myers said the demolition of the gym while an active citizen petition drive to challenge the decision was ongoing had violated the city charter and citizens' First Amendment rights.
"I believe that the city is subject to a lawsuit for violating the First Amendment rights of its citizens and that the statute of limitations has not tolled on that right," Myers said.
Others expressed the same sentiments and expressed skepticism that what would be built would be truly affordable to working class people.
"When the majority of workers are walking away with an income less than $30,000, what are we really able to afford when we can hardly afford our rent?" Pensacola resident Sam Epstein said. "Where will the working class people of Pensacola go when we can't afford to live here anymore? Who will flip your burgers when we're gone?"
Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier pushed back on the comments that this wasn't really affordable housing and noted the city has never really attempted an affordable housing project like this before.
Brahier pointed to the figures that majority of the properties will be 80% AMI or less, while if there are some at the top range of 120% AMI, which is $86,400, they would still be affordable to two teachers making $43,000 a year each.
Brahier said there should be homes offered at 60% AMI, which will be affordable to two adults with a combined income of $43,200.
"That does start at that salary with two people," Brahier said. "That works in that type of house (60% of AMI), and I just want to say that it gets the teachers, all the people you are commenting about. That is the range we are talking about."
Councilman Charles Bare was the lone no-vote on the item and said he supported other affordable housing efforts by the city such as the Pensacola Motor Lodge and Baptist Hospital, but he felt the community surrounding the Malcolm Yonge Gym were not given proper notice about what the city plans where.
Notices were sent out to residents around the area, but Bare said the notice was "vague" and did not mention that it was going to go to a community land trust.
Bare made a Facebook post in an East Hill neighborhood Facebook group last week as for feedback and many of the 38 comments expressed anger that the gym had been torn down.
"The reason I posted something on social media is because you could look at this (agenda item) and not even know it was the Malcolm Yonge property," Bare said. "And so I felt like I wanted to see what they weighed in on, and some of the responses were very interesting."
Bare said he felt like the city was trying to "whitewash" over the fact that this property was the location of the Malcolm Yonge Gym, as it wasn't mentioned at all in any official description of the proposal.
Councilwoman Allison Patton, who represents the area, said she saw Bare's post and read the comments as well as spoke to residents.
"I don't see a significant pushback on doing something like this at that site from the folks that live around it," Patton said. "So that's important to me, and I solicited feedback. I am very focused, though, and I think the proposal is clear that whatever ends up going on that site has to be consistent with the neighborhood and has to fit in the neighborhood."
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola moves to make Malcolm Yonge Gym site affordable housing
