Updated Rooms and Public Spaces Completely Enhances the Overall Guest Experience

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LBA Hospitality, an Alabama–based hotel management company, today announced the 97-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Tallahassee Central has completed renovations to its guest rooms and public spaces. The newly refreshed hotel, located at 2997 Apalachee Parkway in Tallahassee, Florida, is owned by Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. of Richmond, Virginia, and managed by LBA Hospitality. The renovation includes new carpeting, wall vinyl, paint, and sofa-sleepers in the guest rooms and new carpeting in the public areas, as well as new seating in the lobby and breakfast area.

"The renovation for this location is inspiring, offering a fresh new look for our guests," said Farrah Adams, COO of LBA Hospitality. "The hotel's convenient location offers guests a central point for all their needs when traveling to Tallahassee for both business and leisure."

The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Tallahassee Central is located approximately 10 miles from the Tallahassee International Airport and offers guests convenient access to Florida State University, Florida A&M University, the Florida State Capitol and numerous shopping, dining and entertainment options in nearby downtown Tallahassee.

Each guest room at the four-story, down-home Southern charm hotel includes soft bedding, fluffy pillows, complimentary WiFi and Smart-TVs with Netflix and Hulu streaming capabilities. Additional hotel amenities include a fitness center, an indoor swimming pool, a meeting room and a complimentary hot breakfast featuring oatmeal, cereal, fruit, assorted yogurts and toppings, scones, muffins, breakfast sandwiches, and additional hot healthy egg options.

For more information or to contact the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Tallahassee Central please call directly at 850-210-1210, or visit www.marriott.com/tlhec.

About LBA HospitalityEstablished in 1973, LBA Hospitality is one of the leading hotel management, development, and consulting companies in the US. With an extensive portfolio of hotels located in the Southeast and Southwest, the company is a recognized leader developing and operating the most respected brands under franchise licenses of Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, and InterContinental Hotel Group. For more than four decades, LBA Hospitality has continued to set a higher standard in hotel development, management, and guest satisfaction, resulting in sustained, profitable growth for owners. For more information, visit www.lbahospitality.com.

About Fairfield by MarriottFairfield by Marriott is designed to provide guests with all the comforts of home while they are on the road. Placing emphasis on the beauty of simplicity, Fairfield builds upon its strong heritage and traditions from the Marriott family retreat, the Fairfield Farm, creating an environment that focuses on the warmth and simplicity of delivering an inviting and seamless experience for its guests. In addition to complimentary Wi-Fi and a hot breakfast for all guests, Fairfield offers thoughtfully designed rooms and suites with separate living, working and sleeping areas that are comfortable and inviting. Founded on the principles of warm hospitality and family treatment, Fairfield's philosophy and level of service are built on making sure that every guest's stay is a seamless experience, which continues to be backed by The Fairfield Guarantee.

Contact:Judy CluckVice President of Sales and MarketingLarry Blumberg & Associates, Inc.678-977-8316 judyc@lbaproperties.com

SOURCE LBA Hospitality

The year-old Fairfield Inn & Suites Homestead Florida City sold for $21.5 million.

Florida City Hospitality LLC, managed by Chirag B. Desai of Miami-based Baywood Hotels, sold the 132-room hotel at 60 S.W. 352nd St. to 60 SW 352 Street Owner LP, in care of Irving, Texas-based hospitality firm Highgate Capital Investments. Parlex 14 Finco, in care of Blackstone, provided a $17.6 million mortgage to the buyer.

The price equated to $162,879 a room.

Situated on a 2.9-acre site between Krome Avenue and U.S. 1, the hotel totals 84,500 square feet in six stories. It is right at the gateway to the Florida Keys, where hotels are considerably more expansive than in Florida City.

With tourism bouncing back strong in the Florida Keys, the hotel in Florida City provides a cost-effective alternative to staying on the island chain. There’s also been a population boom in the Florida City/Homestead area and that often leads to more family and business travel.

According to Daryl Cronk with hotel analytics company STR, the southern Miami-Dade County submarket that includes Florida City had a 79% occupancy rate in the first quarter, up from 62% in the year-ago quarter. The average daily rate increased to $178.09, from $110.82. That was actually higher than the 75% occupancy rate in the Miami Beach submarket in the first quarter, although it has higher room rates than Florida City.

Highgate has over 87,500 hotel rooms under management in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.

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The site is close to downtown, beaches, shopping centers, Gibbs High School and the Pinellas Trail.

The site of a lumberyard in St. Petersburg is being converted for affordable housing.

HP Capital Group, a real estate firm in St. Petersburg, plans to build 264 apartments along 34th Street S just north off the Pinellas Trail thanks to a new state law that expands zoning for the development of affordable housing, the developers said.

In 2020, the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 1339 which allows lots designated for residential, commercial or industrial zoning to be used for affordable housing. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law that summer.

The Fairfield Apartments project would be one of the first examples of the new law put into action. The site, at 3300 Fairfield Ave. S, is currently a lumber yard under Tibbetts Lumber. There may be 15 industrial sites in St. Petersburg that are eligible to be converted to affordable housing, according to the city.

The lumber yard is ideal for an affordable housing project because it’s close to downtown, beaches, shopping centers and is near Gibbs High School and the popular bike trail, said developer Fred Hemmer of HP Capital Group, who also noted the need for affordable housing as Tampa Bay leads the nation in rising rent prices.

“Our focus is that affordable housing has to be many different types of housing and in different places. It can’t all be centered in one area of the city. Affordable needs are all over,” said Nick Hansen, a partner at HP Capital Group. “These laws and new ordinances give us that flexibility.”

HP Capital Group is led by Hansen, Hemmer and Angelo Cappelli. The company has several projects around Tampa Bay,such as Reflection by St. Petersburg’s Mirror Lake and the First Avenue Apartments in the Edge District.

The Fairfields Apartments will be three buildings of apartments at fixed rates for households with low to moderate incomes. About 20 percent of the units will be reserved for people who make under 50 percent of the area median income. About 25 percent will be for those who make under 80 percent, and 55 percent is set to go to people making below 120 percent.

“It’s one of the better housing projects that we’ve seen coming through City Council. The [percentage of area median income] that was chosen for affordability is something that we’ve been asking for,” said Brother John Muhammad, a lead organizer with racial justice advocacy group Florida Rising.

Rents in the area haven’t spiked in the neighborhood as much as the rest of the region, said Muhammad, a St. Petersburg native. “And we want to keep it that way.”

Florida Rising hosted a rally outside the Fairfield Apartments site on May 1 for May Day to recognize the rights of workers and the rising costs of living in the area. Muhammad said they chose that location as an example of what’s possible. He said he hopes the city can make more use of old industrial sites for housing.

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The developers said they expect to start construction by the end of the year. It would take up to 16 months to build. Initial designs called for a podium parking garage, but because of supply chain issues and inflation, they said they scrapped it for surface parking that was cheaper.

Amenities will include a community pool, meeting and conference rooms, a bike corral and repair workshop, a computer lab, and green spaces with picnic and barbecue pavilions.

Cappelli said they’re also looking at other sites around the area that would be eligible for affordable housing and expects other Florida cities to expand their zonings under the new state law.

“We’re hoping this inspires other municipalities in Florida to follow suit,” Cappelli said.

Some community advocates want the new law to be used not only by private companies but for public use. St. Petersburg Tenants Union organizer William Kilgore said he worries that many developers and some nonprofits aren’t incentivized to maintain affordable housing projects and will cut corners to save costs. There should be more housing under public management, he said.

While adding more projects can be helpful, Kilgore said it’s frustrating for many tenants who pay rising rents when there’s plenty of homes in the area that are empty for most of the year because an investor or second-home buyer owns them.

“The city should have a much bigger effort to try combating the issue of investors buying up homes and taking housing out of the market,” Kilgore said. “Make it public and guarantee it as a home.”

Muhammad said he hopes St. Petersburg uses the new law to be creative in industrial corridors like Childs Park, as long as the sites are inspected for safety, don’t take away jobs and create housing that’s permanently affordable. Projects like the Fairfield Apartments helps, but he said there’s more to be done.

“We understand what the need is and it far exceeds what that one project will be able to bring,” he said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Eagle Ridge affordable housing community in Tarpon Springs is set for May 18.

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — The Tarpon Springs Housing Authority and developer Norstar are hosting a ribbon-cutting event on Wednesday, May 18, at 11 a.m. to celebrate last year's successful opening of Eagle Ridge, a 71-unit affordable apartment community.

The development, located at 721 Mango Circle, was supported in part through Pinellas County's HOME and HUD Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 funds.

Eagle Ridge offers one-, two- or three-bedroom, pet-friendly, apartment homes with spacious, open floor plans, granite countertops, energy-star appliances, faux wood floors and tile surround showers.

The affordable housing community includes a clubhouse with a community room, fitness center and playground.

In its continuing efforts to relieve the affordable housing crisis, the Pinellas County Commission has also approved funds for two other affordable housing projects that will add another 270 units in the next few years.

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The commission gave conditional approval to use Penny for Pinellas funds to support a new rental community in South St. Petersburg and approved funds from the State Housing Initiative Partnership Program (SHIP) to rehabilitate six units in Lealman for people with special needs.

Fairfield Avenue Apartments, 3300 Fairfield Ave. S., St. Petersburg, will provide 264 affordable homes with all units set aside for those earning less than 120 percent, 80 percent or 50 percent of the area median income.

The county will provide $5.6 million from the Penny for Pinellas tax for land and construction costs. The project is also supported by a loan from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the St. Petersburg CRA.

Homes for Independence will fund the renovation of six units at 1000 79th Ave. N., 8211 12th Way N. and 3890 7th Ave. N. in the Lealman area, using $386,198 in SHIP funds. The units will be set at affordable rates for people with special needs.

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The county has approved more than 1,100 affordable homes for funding support with the renewed Penny for Pinellas in the past two years alone, with many currently under construction by local developers. The voter-approved Penny sales tax helps cover the land and other authorized costs for residential developments where some or all units are reserved at affordable rates.

Other affordable housing projects receive county support through local, state and federal programs in partnership with the Pinellas County Housing Finance Authority, Pinellas County Housing Authority and other agencies.

The county has also joined with Forward Pinellas and the cities of St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo and Pinellas Park in the Advantage Pinellas Countywide Housing Compact, an agreement to develop and implement long-term solutions to housing affordability.

Pinellas County has committed an estimated $80 million from the Penny sales tax to support development of affordable housing over the next decade.

For more information on countywide affordable housing programs, click here.

For a list of resources to help renters and others struggling with housing affordability, click here.

In September 2021, the City of St. Petersburg became the first municipality in Florida to take advantage of a new House Bill that allows for a process to create affordable housing in otherwise prohibited zoning districts.

Utilizing that new process, an old lumber yard at 3300 Fairfield Ave. S. will soon be transformed into 264 affordable apartments.

On Thursday, the St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved turning an industrial-zoned, seven-acre location into an affordable housing complex. Currently occupied by Tibbetts Lumber, the Pinellas Trail borders the site to its south and Fairfield Avenue to its north. The proposed development also sits between 34^th Street South to the east and 31^st Street to the west.

“There’s no other building like this located in St. Peterburg that I’m aware of,” said Rob Gerdes, city administrator. “With this number of units – all workforce and affordable units, no market-rate units – with no tax credits involved.

“This is a very unique application.”

In 2020, the State Legislature approved House Bill 1339, which states in part: Notwithstanding any other law or local ordinance or regulation to the contrary, the governing body of a municipality may approve the development of housing that is affordable … on any parcel zoned for residential, commercial or industrial use.

In October 2021, the city council formally approved an amendment to the city code, creating a process for a developer to apply for an affordable housing development not typically permitted in neighborhood suburban, neighborhood traditional, industrial suburban and industrial traditional zoning districts. The current zoning of the proposed Fairfield Apartment complex is industrial traditional.

“The purpose of this (the bill and subsequent amendment to city code) was to help overcome impediments to the development of more affordable housing,” said Gerdes. “And one of those impediments is available land for construction.”

Gerdes noted that city council’s approval is only relevant to the current proposal. If the development falls through, or if the developer makes significant changes to the site plan, the application process begins anew.

Gerdes also explained strict location, density, affordability and property size criteria. City code prohibits variances for the project criteria, including a minimum of five acres and 60 units; a location within two miles of a public or vocational school, one mile of a grocery store and the Pinellas Trail or a city park and a quarter-mile of a PSTA bus line; and a maximum rent or sale price at 120% or below the area median income (AMI), with a 30-year minimum affordability period.

Gerdes said the application checks all the boxes.

The proposed site is bordered by the Pinellas Trail to the south and Fairfield Avenue South to its north. Gibbs High School, grocery stores and a PSTA bus stop are all nearby. Screengrab.

The application calls for 53 units for residents making 50% or less of the AMI, which is currently $33,250 for a household of three. Another 67 units are for those making up to 80% of the AMI, and the remaining 144 units are available to those at or below 120% of the AMI, or $79,800 for a three-person household.

“If you just looked at the units at 80% and 50% AMI, that’s 120 units,” added Gerdes. “That’s larger than any 9% tax credit development, numbers-wise, that I’m aware of in the City of St. Petersburg.

“So, if you don’t even look at the units at 120% AMI, you just look at the other units – it’s very significant for St. Petersburg.”

Attorney Brian Aungst spoke on behalf of the applicant and developer, HP Capital Group. He called it a historic day in the Sunshine City as the Fairfield Avenue project is the first in the state to take advantage of the new process. He said the proposal would serve as a model for other municipalities throughout the state.

Councilmember Lisa Wheeler-Bowman, whose district encompasses the site, said she recently received a call stating that 70 families with children in the area were currently sleeping in their cars.

“To hear that we’re going to have 254 units of affordable housing that are not just strictly at 120% AMI – is exciting to me,” she said. “I just want you guys (HP Capital Group) to know that I appreciate it.”

Councilmember Richie Floyd said he likes to preserve industrial land because it provides jobs that help people afford housing expenses but called the proposal “impressive.” He asked about the affordability period, and Gerdes explained that in addition to the 30-year stipulation in the proposal, the developer is working with Pinellas County to secure a land trust that would increase the affordability term to 99 years.

Councilmember Ed Montanari credited city staff for taking a difficult process and quickly utilizing it to combat the affordable housing crisis.

“This sort of stuff isn’t easy,” he said. “The level of detail and the speed at which it got done – you know, government doesn’t work very fast.”

Both Montanari and Aungst acknowledged Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, who was absent, for her work to see the process and proposal come to fruition.

“The fact that this is historic – and that the City of St. Petersburg is the first to use this tool – says something about governance in our city,” said Montanari.

The city council unanimously approved HP Capital Group’s proposal for the Fairfield Avenue affordable housing project. Tibbetts Lumber plans to relocate to Largo, and developers expect to break ground at the site in the coming months.