- June 16, 2025
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A new affordable housing community for seniors in Bradenton recently opened with fanfare — including a visit from a celebrity who helped make the project possible.
Astoria on 9th was developed by Miami-based Housing Trust Group in partnership with AM Affordable Housing, a nonprofit founded by NBA Hall of Famer and Miami Heat legend Alonzo Mourning.
Mourning was among the dozens of attendees at a late May ribbon cutting for the Bradenton apartment community, which cost $37.4 million to build.
The athlete-turned-philanthropist was honored to “celebrate progress here in Bradenton,” he said.
“Progress is something I’ve been about my whole life, trying to position myself in order to be of service to the community,” added Mourning, who went from living in a foster home to graduating from Georgetown University to playing in the NBA, which he said provided a platform for him to impact other people’s lives.
Together with Housing Trust Group, Mourning has helped develop 10 affordable housing communities since 2006.
“These are not just apartments,” Mourning said. “They’re homes.”
Astoria on 9th was designed to meet the growing demand among older adults for affordable housing.
At 2244 Ninth St. W., the five-story building features one- and two-bedroom apartments from 635 to just over 900 square feet. There are 120 units. Among the amenities are a clubhouse, cyber cafe with catering kitchen and bar, fitness center and dog park. Programs for residents include adult literacy training and assistance with daily activities like grocery shopping, laundry and housekeeping.
To live at Astoria on 9th, people must be at least 55 years old and earn at or below 22%, 30% or 60% of the area median income. Rent ranges from $322 to $1,316 a month, according to Mourning.
“There's a shortage of 7 million affordable housing [units] across our country,” Mourning said. “This shortage disproportionately affects certain groups: our seniors, people with disabilities, people of color [and] people that are serving our armed forces.”
Wayne Nappi, 68, a resident at Astoria on 9th, told the Business Observer he lost his job as an interior designer, then lost his place to live due to a hurricane. Afterward, he became homeless and was living in motels in Sarasota when he found out from a social worker about Astoria on 9th.
“I’m an educated person. I don't have drug issues or anything like that. It just was a set of bad circumstances that happened, and it happens to a lot of people,” Nappi said at the ribbon cutting, where he was asked to speak.
As a designer, he said he appreciated the way Astoria on 9th was built.
“From the architecture [to] the aesthetics, the art, the way they built the spaces...it shows so much respect and dignity for the people that live here,” Nappi said. “It makes you feel good that somebody cares so much about you to create an environment that's beautiful."
The appealing design is intentional, according to the developer.
“We always focus on trying to achieve [a] market-rate look and feel at an affordable price point,” Housing Trust Group COO Jordan Tolman told the Business Observer.
The company’s developments are so attractive it actually draws people looking for market-rate housing Tolman said at the ribbon cutting “because they see this building and they think, ‘Ooh, a nice new market-rate [apartment.]'" “But it's not for the market rate. So if any of you have people out there who are in need of housing, … we're here to get the word out.”
Astoria on 9th is the fourth affordable housing community developed by Housing Trust Group in Bradenton; others are Riverview6, the Oaks at Lakeside and The Addison. All are located within a five-mile radius, which is a “testament to our long-term commitment to Bradenton and Manatee County,” Tolman said.
In the last several years, Manatee County Commission Chair George Kruse said the company has developed a track record for “best-in-class” projects.
“What you're building is what we need, what Manatee County needs,” Kruse said. “We need more housing. Let's go find you some more land.”
Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown said he appreciates that Housing Trust Group also manages the communities it creates.
“A lot of developers come in and build and sell them,” Brown said. “You guys hold them, and that's important from a long-term standpoint.”
Housing Trust Group develops multifamily residential communities across Florida, Texas, Illinois and Arizona. It has developed, built and managed more than 8,000 units, according to Tolman. The company’s real estate transactions exceed $4 billion in commercial, land and residential developments, according to a statement, which says its portfolio includes affordable housing, workforce housing, market-rate housing and mixed-use developments it creates and manages.
Tolman, like the Manatee County officials, played up the partnership aspect of the project. Among those on the Astoria on 9th project team were general contractor Hennessy Construction, FK Architecture, Hamilton Engineering & Surveying and interior design firm Builders Design.
“Developments like Astoria on 9th don't happen by chance,” Tolman said. “They happen because of purposeful collaboration, steadfast leadership and a shared vision.”
