$40M project brings affordable senior housing to North Port

Affordable housing developer McDowell Housing Partners has completed the first phase of a two-phase development that when complete, will bring more than 200 affordable housing units to North Port.

The company recently finished building Ekos at Arbor Park, a 136-unit apartment community for people ages 55 and up. To qualify, tenants must make 20%-70% of the area median income.

Rent ranges from $330 to $1,235 for one-bedroom apartments and $385 to $1,471 for two-bedroom apartments, according to a statement from McDowell Housing Partners.

All apartments are 700 to 946 square feet and include kitchens with granite countertops, tile back-splashes and stainless steel appliances; bedrooms with walk-in closets; in-unit washers and dryers; and tile flooring throughout.

Amenities at the $40 million Ekos at Arbor Park include a clubhouse with fitness center, media center and multipurpose room as well as a lanai with outdoor grills overlooking the pool. Tenants also have access to quarterly financial planning courses, quarterly health/nutrition courses and an annual health fair as well as regular social events on-site.

“We are incredibly proud to celebrate the completion of the first phase of Ekos at Arbor Park,” McDowell Housing Partners COO Chris Shear says in the April 30 statement. “It’s an incredibly well appointed and managed community with rent levels that are far lower than anywhere else in North Port and Sarasota County.”

The community was funded through 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits purchased by Wells Fargo, a Wells Fargo construction loan, Freddie Mac permanent senior debt and subordinate loans from Florida Housing Finance Corporation, according to the statement.

MHP-Hennessy Construction, a joint venture between MHP Builders and Hennessy Construction Services, served as the general contractor, while Forum Architecture and Interior Design was the architect for the project. Construction began in 2022 and was completed at the end of 2024.

Next, McDowell Housing Partners plans to build more affordable housing on an adjacent property that will be open to all ages, including families.

“We remain dedicated to addressing the housing crisis in Sarasota County as we advance toward the closing of the land adjacent to phase one,” Shear says, “where Ekos Arbor Park Phase II will be built, providing an additional 66 high-quality affordable apartments to families and individuals of all ages.”

Ekos at Arbor Park is on Citizens Parkway, off Toledo Blade Boulevard and West Price Boulevard.