The mayor of St. Petersburg rejected plans for a new Moffitt cancer center, hotel and residential tower, saying the plan didn't include enough affordable community housing, the Tampa Bay Times reported Aug. 12.
The proposal is the first subjected to the city's community benefits agreement which requires developments that cost $2 million or more with city funding aid, or $10 million regardless of cost, to reinvest in the community through affordable housing or monetary assistance toward community programs. The Moffitt mixed-use proposal includes an outpatient cancer facility, a 200-key hotel and a 400-unit residential tower.
The residential tower proposes 17.5 percent affordable housing units, up from 10 percent in the original proposal. But St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welsh said the housing set-aside still fell short of his 30 percent goal of 120 units.
"This was a strategic decision based on community benefit, shared priorities and the significant value of the subject city land," Mr. Welsh said. "While we welcome the addition of this facility and hoped we could successfully negotiate this plan to meet our community benefit goals, negotiations did not meet needed affordable housing."