Janie’s Garden Blooms in Sarasota
Next Phase of Newtown’s Revitalization Under Way as Residents Move in to Brand New Apartments that Replaced Notorious Public Housing
Marlton, NJ (April 8, 2009)—The next step of a much-anticipated revival of the Newtown neighborhood of Sarasota, Florida, started today as residents began moving into their apartment homes at Janie’s Garden, a brand-new, mixed-income multifamily community, developed by the Sarasota Housing Authority and Michaels Development Company, and managed by Interstate Realty Management. Both Michaels Development Company and Interstate Realty Management are affiliates of the Michaels Organization.
The 86-unit, garden-style community featuring both apartment flats and townhomes that opens this week is the first of the Sarasota Housing Authority’s multi-phase, multi-million dollar redevelopment of the former Janie Poe public housing project. Janie Poe had gained notoriety over the past three decades for its dilapidated conditions and was the subject of the 2004 documentary Condemned, by Sarasota filmmaker Diane Mason.
“We are so pleased to be a part of the rebirth of the Newtown neighborhood,” said Milton Pratt, Jr. senior vice president of Michaels Development Company, who has overseen the project’s development since its beginning. “We thank the Sarasota Housing Authority, under the very able leadership of William Russell and its board of commissioners, as well as the City and County Commissions and the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, for entrusting us to fulfill their vision of a new ‘Newtown,’ where people of every income level can live, work and play in beautiful surroundings,” Pratt said.
When the project’s three phases are fully complete, the new Janie’s Garden will feature 225 luxury apartment homes, a clubhouse, fitness center, business center, a residents’ lounge, and green space adorned with picnic pavilions and bicycle racks. Retail space for neighborhood businesses will be available in the second phase of the project.
Janie’s Garden offers a range of apartment sizes, from one-bedrooms to four, as well as rents that will accommodate people with a variety of incomes. Starting at $775 for a one-bedroom, market-rate unit, Janie’s Garden also offers significant value, with in-unit washer and dryer connections, storage closets, and a host of desirable apartment amenities to its residents. Of the 86 apartments now leasing in the first phase, 26 of them are available to those eligible for housing assistance. Three of the 10 families scheduled to move in this week are former residents of the Janie Poe project. Former residents have been given first preference on new apartments at Janie’s Garden as a way to ensure minimum displacement for their families by the redevelopment efforts.
The revitalization of the Newtown neighborhood, undertaken as a public-private joint venture between the Sarasota Housing Authority, Michaels Development Company, and a variety of local stake holders, benefited from federal housing subsidies, including Low Income Housing Tax Credits as well as significant funding from the City of Sarasota, Sarasota County and the state of Florida. Among the local partners involved in the project were Carlson Studio Architecture and King Engineering of Sarasota and Bank of Commerce of Florida as a participating construction lender.
According to William Russell, executive director of the Sarasota Housing Authority, Janie’s Garden is only the first jewel in the redevelopment planned for Newtown. “When all the other phases are completed in this $150 million dollar revitalization effort, Newtown will be home to more than 800 units of market-rate, public and affordable housing, as well as a facility for the elderly, and retail space,” Russell said. Newtown’s neighbors include the Ringling College of Art and Design, a world-class art museum and, a cinema. The white-sand beaches of the Gulf Coast are only a few miles away.
The new Janie’s Garden is being professionally managed by Interstate Realty Management, which has a long history of excellence in the management of affordable and market-rate housing. Since its founding in 1973, Interstate has been the recipient of numerous industry awards and has been hailed for its innovative social services programs, such as after-school tutoring and job training and referral. A temporary leasing office has been opened and a model apartment will be available for viewing soon at Janie’s Garden. Applications are being accepted Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday by appointment. The community will host an open house, April 14-19, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Editor’s Note: Press can arrange a tour of the community by contacting Angela Hegna at 407-506-6976 or ahegna@irmmgmt.com.
About the Sarasota Housing Authority: The Sarasota Housing Authority (SHA) was established as a public housing authority in 1938 under Florida statute to administer federal housing assistance for low, very low and extremely low-income families. Presently SHA provides subsidized housing for over 1,300 low-income families in Sarasota, FL. SHA administers 436 Public Housing apartments, 75 units of Section 8 New Construction, and 800 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. SHA administers an annual budget of over $10 million with a staff of 24.
About the Michaels Organization: Headquartered in Marlton, NJ, The Michaels Organization comprises seven affiliated companies—including Michaels Development Company, Interstate Realty Management, and Michaels Military Housing— dedicated to excellence in affordable, mixed-income, and military housing. Since its founding by Michael J. Levitt in 1973, the Michaels Organization has developed, financed, or acquired more than 40,000 apartments, and currently manages 27,000 units in 26 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.