Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 4-8-22

Feature
Construction Begins On Affordable Houses
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Darrick Fullwood, owner of AAA Restoration and Builders, LLC., was joined by Mayor Jane Castor and City Council Chair Orlando Gudes Monday morning for a press conference to give an up- date on the status of the 3 homes his company is building. The press con- ference was held on the site of one of the homes, 2212 E. Emma Street in East Tampa. He will also build on 32nd Avenue.
Fullwood, born and raised in Tampa, was one of the local devel- opers awarded city-owned lots to build affordable, single-family homes. He broke ground on all three of his properties earlier this month.
“My mother was a single parent raising 10 kids and we moved a lot. So she did not have the opportunity for home ownership, which is the start to the ‘American Dream’,” Fullwood explained.
His goal is to make sure strug- gling families become home owners. He is grateful for the opportunity to
Mayor Jane Castor and Darrick Fullwood, owner of AAA Restoration and Builders, LLC, at the site of one of the homes he’s building on E. Emma St.
tributed among seven qualified, local, minority-owned developers and four non-profits in July 2021. Two of the lots were split, providing the opportunity for 17 affordable homes to be built and sold to in- come-eligible home buyers.
“Not only are we increasing af- fordable housing inventory, but we also reworked the program to en- sure the lots are awarded to local, minority-owned developers,” Mayor Castor said.
“I recognize how important it is for families to have a foundation and stability,” Fullwood said. “My fam- ily moved around often.
“However, I’m honored to have been selected to join this effort and I look forward to the day we wel- come new families into their new homes where they can live comfort- ably and build lifelong memories.”
The City of Tampa's Housing and Community Development division oversees the program and has been following a rigorous timeline to kick-start the development process.
Fullwood expects the homes to be completed by late Fall.
rebuild the neighborhood that he grew up in.
“This is a sacrifice for me, for the builders and the City, because in order to make the houses affordable,
we have to reduce the prices,” he stated.
Through Mayor Castor’s Infill Housing Phase II initiative, a total of 15 vacant, city-owned lots were dis-
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 3-B