The city of St. Augustine, Fla., is expected to get an abundance of new apartments and houses, and some of them are taking shape now.
The growth of residential development in the city is noticeable from U.S. 1 North to Anastasia Island.
David Harrell, senior development review planner for the city, has worked at City Hall for about a year and said he's noticed the trend.
"I've noticed, at least on my side of it, all facets of residential: apartments, condos, townhomes," he said.
Some of the developments were permitted years ago and have been developing over time, while some are still in the works. But collectively the developments mean greater demand for services, more vehicles on roads and more tax revenue in city coffers.
"Growth is always something that cuts both ways," St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver said.
Antigua Apartments are being built just north of the S.R. 312 near the bridge, and plans called for 249 units to be built at the site. Harrell said the development plans also call for townhomes. Construction is underway on the project, an effort prominently in view from S.R. 312.
Then there's The Landing at St. Augustine on U.S. 1 North near the St. Johns County government complex. The first phase is nearing completion, and a second phase is planned. The project was expected to bring 585 apartments in both phases combined, if the second phase was permitted.
Plans are also in the works for a development called Flagler Crossing near The Landing that is expected to have about 100 single-family homes, Harrell said.
Madeira is a housing development off U.S. 1 North. As of February 2016, 74 homes had been built out of more than 740 approved.
There's also a small home development called Villa Calissa in the works off U.S. 1 near State Road 207 and the St. Augustine Shipyard. It has been advertised as a community of 11 harbor residences, with some listed around $800,000.
City Manager John Regan said with the big influx of housing inventory, officials will be paying attention to how the housing market is affected. Still, affordable housing is an issue that remains to be addressed.
"We're all going to be pretty curious, but the deficiency of our community is affordable and workforce housing," Regan said. "We're continuing our commitment to stress the need for affordable and workforce housing."
