After Pandemic Delay, Tallahassee’s Orange Ave. Apartment Redevelopment Gets Underway
The planned re-development of Orange Avenue Apartments is again moving after a year-long delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the recent allocation of new money to complete construction of the housing units.
The Tallahassee Housing Authority announced Wednesday its received funding from the state for the second phase of the project and will begin moving residents so that the complex can be torn down and rebuilt. The new incarnation will include 290 apartments with 200 slated for low-income housing. That replaces the 200 current units on the property.
The pandemic hasn’t just delayed the start of the project, its also driven up costs. Ray Kuniansky, Chief Development Officer with the developer, Columbia Residential, noted lumber costs for the project have increased by $2 million since 2019, when the project was first submitted for approval.
To stay on budget, the developer is looking for additional funding and exploring other materials and building techniques. Kuniansky said the increase in materials won’t impact the project’s scope. Bidding is already underway for construction companies and vendors and the city expects to use a number of local businesses.