Phase 2 of affordable housing project in Orlando to help more Orange school employees
By Sasha Teman
As the school year winds down, some Orange County Public School employees will get to benefit from a new beginning.
An affordable housing agreement made between the school district and the One Stop Housing organization in February provides eligible school district employees priority access in two downtown Orlando locations, Palm Gardens Orlando Apartments and Colonial Gardens.
As the 55 new Palm Gardens units became available Wednesday after a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of Phase 2, four staff members will move in. Three other OCPS staff members already were living at Palm Gardens, One Stop Housing Managing Partner Mark Vengroff said.
The apartments are designed for people with incomes at or less than 80% of the area median income, and 15 apartments already have been designated for OCPS employees — including teachers, bus drivers and support staff.
According to the Priority Access to Housing Agreement document, “the rising cost of living in Central Florida has outpaced wages, contributing to the shortage of these critical employees essential to the operation of our public schools.”
The city of Orlando put forward more than $4 million to pay for the conversion of the former Ambassador Hotel to create Palm Gardens Orlando.
“We know that some of the most important jobs in our community don’t pay as well as they should, so it’s a plight that is, in someways you’re embarrassed, that you have to provide affordable housing to teachers,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said. “But on the other hand, we’re making that happen.”
The project is one of the first to be approved through the Accelerate Orlando initiative to further the city’s efforts in tackling homelessness and affordable housing.
In all, 150 workforce housing units make up Palm Gardens Orlando. The 55 units that became available Wednesday include 52 studio and three one-bedroom apartments.
At Palm Gardens, a studio apartment can be rented for $900 a month, including utilities, and a one-bedroom apartment costs $1,195.
Nearly two-thirds of the Phase 2 apartments have already been rented out, and Vengroff said that, given the demand, he anticipates that all of the Palm Gardens units will be fully occupied by next month.
Hannah Ragbir, a Robinswood Middle School teacher, has been living since July 2024 in Phase 1 of Palm Gardens, the opening of which was celebrated on May 29, 2024.
“We feel very much appreciated,” she said. “I can speak from being a teacher, an employee. You really feel like, ‘Hey, you know we’re actually being noticed. Somebody understands our situation at times and is providing a way for us to live comfortably as we can’.”
Vengroff said the proximity to the downtown area makes it convenient for employees who may not have their own means of transportation, like Ragbir.
She relies on public transportation to get to and from work every day, but the convenience of having a bus stop directly across the street makes the trip an easier one.
Local leaders agree that there is still work that needs to be done, though, to help teachers.
“We don’t always have control over the funds that we’re given. We would love, love, love more money to provide for our employees, and we’re working on outside sources to do that,” OCPS District 1 School Board member Angie Gallo said. “But in the meantime, if we can help them live, if we can help them find affordable housing, if we can help them in any way that we can to retain our great teachers and provide them a safe place to live that’s affordable, then we’re gonna do that.”
Vengroff added that the cost of renting the apartments is another appealing factor for applicants because it gives them the opportunity to save money for a future home.
“One thing that’s an interesting fact is through our properties, we have about 4,000 units that we currently have in our portfolio,” Vengroff said. “Every single month, we have between one and four families move out because they can afford their own home. They’ve saved enough money that they can afford their own home.”
The workforce housing properties like Palm Gardens will also be beneficial for the community and neighboring communities, Vengroff said.
They come in the midst of the city’s efforts to give the West Colonial Drive corridor a new look. It had gained a reputation for being a hub for abandoned lots and businesses.