A Lake Seminole church campus could soon pull double duty as both a house of worship and a small neighborhood of affordable senior cottages, after Seminole leaders signaled they are ready to start hammering out the fine print with Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside.
Council Authorizes Negotiations
At an April 14 workshop, the Seminole City Council added the proposal to its agenda and gave consensus for City Manager Ann Toney-Deal to begin negotiating a development agreement for the site at 11250 86th Avenue. That step moves the project into a formal review track while staff and the applicant sort through terms, according to the City of Seminole.
High Point Engineering is listed on the agenda as the applicant representing Habitat. The workshop setting allowed council members to ask early questions without taking a final vote, and officials noted that negotiations, not approvals, are the next order of business.
Plan Would Swap Land, Build Cottages And A Smaller Church
Under the concept, Lake Seminole Presbyterian Church would donate about 2.4 acres of its property to Habitat and keep around 1.4 acres for a new 4,600-square-foot church building. Habitat would remove the existing 1964-65 church structures and replace them with 18 cottages for residents 55 and older.
The site plan sketches seven buildings at the corner of 86th Avenue and 113th Street: four triplexes and three duplexes, for a total of 18 units. Each cottage is drawn at roughly 1,050 square feet. The land swap details and layout were reported by TBNweekly, and public property records list the same 11250 86th Avenue address for the campus.
Supporters of the deal pitch it as a way to carve out new homeownership options for lower-income seniors while still keeping a local worship presence on the corner.
Who Could Buy And How Payments Would Work
Habitat representatives and city staff told council that buyers would be limited to households earning roughly 30 percent to 80 percent of the area median income. Owners would purchase their cottages through Habitat’s zero-percent-interest mortgage model with no down payment, which the group estimates would produce monthly payments of about $850, plus taxes and insurance, according to TBNweekly.
Mike Sutton, president of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside, has described the plan as “a unique partnership” he hopes can be repeated in other communities. Habitat officials told council the initial financing would come from private donations and the affiliate’s own program operations, with the option to pursue government subsidies later if needed.
Habitat’s Local Track Record
Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside points to its recent production as proof it can handle a project of this size. The affiliate reports building a record 88 homes in its 2024-25 fiscal year and bringing in more than $41 million in revenue, while centering 0 percent APR mortgages and homeowner education in its standard model.
Local officials have cited that growth and fundraising record, highlighted in the group’s public materials, as a key reason Habitat is being tapped for this type of small-scale, senior-focused ownership development.
Next Steps And Community Notice
The next move is behind-the-scenes: city staff and Habitat will work out a proposed development agreement. If they can reach terms, the project will return to Seminole’s formal approval pipeline, with public hearings and final votes required under the city’s land development regulations.
Those rules require notice to nearby property owners and other standard review steps in the city code and ordinances. Neighbors can expect to see the proposal back on future agendas with conditions, exhibits, and a formal public hearing schedule once negotiations are complete.
