A new affordable housing development has opened in Ybor City, Tampa, following a partnership between local developers and the City of Tampa. The project, Casa Maceo Apartments, consists of 10 three-bedroom, two-bathroom units intended for families earning up to 80% of the area median income (AMI), which is about $83,000 for a family of four.
Pittman Design Group (PDG), led by Dontavoius Pittman, Kevin Johnson, and Ponce McNeal—all graduates of Tampa Bay Tech and Florida A&M University—developed the project. In 2023, they secured a $3 million grant from a state affordable housing program to redevelop a vacant plot on Columbus Drive at the border between East Tampa and Ybor City.
The apartment complex offers six units to households earning 50% AMI or less and four units for those at 80% AMI or less. Amenities include luxury vinyl plank flooring, stainless steel appliances, and quartz countertops. The affordability period for the apartments is set at 30 years.
Mayor Jane Castor commented on the project’s impact: “I could not be prouder of what Shacres Development has accomplished here in Ybor City. Dontavious Pittman, Ponce McNeal, and their team are homegrown talent, born and raised right here in Tampa, and now they’re giving back to the very neighborhoods that shaped them. This development is more than just new housing — it’s a testament to what happens when local visionaries invest in their own community to make Tampa a place where everyone can afford to live and thrive.”
The name Casa Maceo honors Antonio Maceo, a 19th-century Afro-Cuban military leader who fought for Cuban independence. Applications are currently being accepted from prospective residents.
