Gulf Keystar is starting work on an affordable housing project co-ordinated by the Key West Housing Authority (KWHA) and the City of Key West, with the Munroe County Land Authority.

The project has an estimated total cost of as much as $21.48 million, KWHA spokesman Peter Batty Sr. told Key West News. He said that the amount includes the possibility of rising materials costs.

Ninety-two of the 103 one-bedroom units in the Garden View Apartments on College Road will be designated for low-income households; 11 will be reserved for extremely low-income households, of which six will be reserved for residents with special needs, KWHA director Randy Sterling says.

“The partnership between the city, the housing authority and the land authority is monumental in addressing the affordable housing shortage in this community,” he said in an Oct. 18 statement. “But we have to recognize the other players, without whom we couldn’t go forward,” including the lender, Truist (formally BB&T), the Florida Housing Finance Corporation and Department of Economic Opportunity.

“This partnership has gotten us where we need to be in providing affordable housing that our community so greatly needs,” said city manager Patti McLauchlin. “Because of the hard work and cooperation among these independent agencies, our community will benefit, and at no cost to the taxpayer.”

Construction is estimated to take about 18 months. Garden View Apartments will occupy land that formerly housed a mosquito control facility, the former SPCA, and Easter Seals, the published report says.