NSB welcomes residents to Greenlawn Manor, the city's first affordable housing for seniors

NEW SMYRNA BEACH — The wait is over for at least three of the more than 80 tenants who will call the new Greenlawn Manor home.

The affordable housing facility for senior citizens has been in the works since 2018 — the structure itself under construction since 2021.

The three-story building features 80 units — 65 one-bedroom units and 15 two-bedroom units, along with other amenities, such as offices and community rooms.

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“It’s very, very exciting,” said Teresa Pope, the Housing Authority’s executive director, in an interview Tuesday. “We’ve been waiting a long time. This is the first senior affordable housing building in New Smyrna Beach history.”

Greenlawn Manor is located at 911 Oleander St. in the city’s historic westside.

‘I’m excited to be back’

The first three residents of the Greenlawn Manor signed their leases Tuesday afternoon, but just one was ready to move in.

Aida Sacca has lived in New Smyrna Beach since 2004, and for six years she has been receiving housing assistance.

In fact, Sacca will be the only resident at Greenlawn Manor who used to live at the Greenlawn Terrace property, which was torn down — giving way to the new building.

“I have been waiting for this since I first moved into Greenlawn apartments when they said they were building this,” said Sacca, who had lived at the former property for six years. “This place is gorgeous. It’s beautiful. I just can’t get over it.”

The last few years have been especially challenging for Sacca, whose temporary public housing unit at the Live Oak Homes flooded after Tropical Storm Ian in 2022. She had to relocate to Tarpon Springs and wait for her Greenlawn Manor apartment to be ready.

“I’m excited to be back,” she said. “I love New Smyrna Beach.”

Sacca said that she had a hard time finding a place in the city before getting into affordable housing programs.

“I was almost put in a homeless shelter until I got housing,” she said. “I was on the list for five years, waiting — that’s how busy they are. But it was worth the wait.”

She said her apartment is “beautiful” and that she is excited to meet her neighbors.

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“I love it! I have an island, I have a fridge that has an ice maker,” Sacca said. “The little things are what’s exciting. It looks like an apartment that you would pay $2,000 or something for. This is the best place to live, I think.”

Continued need for affordable housing

Pope’s work with her team at the Housing Authority involves helping residents find affordable housing opportunities as well as year-round programs directed to help homeless individuals.

She said that the lack of affordable housing, especially for senior residents, has increased over the past few years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After COVID, the rents skyrocketed, and the seniors can’t afford to live here anymore,” Pope said. “And most of the working adults can’t afford to live here anymore.”

At Greenlawn Manor, Pope said the residents will pay 30% of their income for rent, no matter what unit they are in.

“We have 60 project-based vouchers attached to the units,” she added. “The rent for the one-bedroom units is $1,290, and the voucher program, through the Housing Authority, will pay the rest to the property manager.”

Residents have to pay for electricity and cable, while the water and garbage fees are included in the voucher.

What is next for Greenlawn Manor?

The entire project consists of two phases, both of which amount to a $27 million price tag.

With the first phase now nearing completion as residents start to sign leases and move into Greenlawn Manor, the project’s second phase is now the focus.

“We’re planning 72 multi-family units,” Pope said. “It will be three buildings with 24 units each.”

The project will be located at 500 Brooks St., just south of Greenlawn Manor.

The city will relocate the residents living in the approximately 40 units in that area once the demolition and phase II construction begins. Residents will receive housing vouchers as part of the Housing Authority’s voucher program, which is the same process used with Greenlawn Terrace residents before Greenlawn Manor began.

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A major part of the funding comes from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit — approximately $20 million. The city applied for the tax credit last year and committed to $460,000 in city funds toward phase II. Other funding sources include permanent loans and a contribution from the county’s State Housing Initiative Program.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Affordable housing in NSB, Greenlawn Manor, opens for seniors