Prolific homebuilder: Affordable housing requires a takes-a-village-approach

The days of building a new home for less than $19,000 are long gone.

By Pat Neal
| 5:00 a.m. February 3, 2022
| 0 Free Articles Remaining!

Neal Communities has built a variety of homes and sizes and styles over the past five decades.

Development

Building affordable housing in Sarasota might be compared to “building affordable housing on Fifth Avenue.”

I am hoping I can explain some of the challenges of building affordable housing in Sarasota County and then provide some ideas as to how to meet that challenge to ensure affordable and attainable homes, especially for young families, and young families seeking careers here.

Above all, Sarasota County is one of the most desirable places to be, young or old, in the United States. Just two weeks ago I noticed a car carrier and six cars from California being unloaded at University Park, just north and east of Sarasota. Prior to the last two years, we almost never sold new homes to people repositioning their lives from California (in the 18,000 homes built in Sarasota/Bradenton).