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San Clemente Villas To Top Trees

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By RAY REYES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 13, 2008

PLANT CITY - When construction is completed next year on a planned 68-unit affordable housing community south of St. Clement Catholic Church, it will rise above the church's fellowship hall and its tallest spire.

San Clemente Villas, as the 53,000-square-foot community for the elderly will be called, will tower over every building and dramatically alter the look of the area along Alexander Street south of Interstate 4, City Commissioner Bill Dodson said.

"It'll tower above the trees," said Dodson, a member of St. Clement. "It'll be a significant component in that gateway into town."

Construction on the five-story affordable housing community is expected to begin this summer, Dodson said.

Commissioners approved rezoning in April of about 30 acres adjacent to St. Clement to make room for the villas. The building's height was originally planned for three stories, but the site is bordered by wetlands and that limits the area on which to build, Dodson said.

"We had to go high instead of wide," Dodson said.

The senior housing community will be operated and maintained by members of St. Clement and social services organization Catholic Charities USA. About $9.5 million in federal grants have been obtained from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the project, Dodson said.

Residents at least 62 years old with low income are eligible to live in San Clemente Villas. It will feature 68 one-bedroom units and "good amenities for the elderly," including a community room and a common laundry area, Dodson said.

San Clemente Villas is at least the third church-run affordable housing community in the city. It joins Plant City Towers and The Living Center, both built through the efforts of First Baptist Church of Plant City, to provide affordable housing for senior citizens.

The addition of San Clemente Villas to the St. Clement campus at 1104 N. Alexander St. marks the first time in 10 years the church has expanded, Dodson said.

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 865-4433 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.

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