Former Clearwater mobile home park will soon be the site of nearly 400 apartments
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Sep 28, 2021

A joint venture between FCP and Aventon Cos. will soon bring nearly 400 apartments to Clearwater on U.S. Highway 19.

Aventon Clearwater will include 396 units in multiple three-story buildings on a 22-acre site at 24479 U.S. Hwy 19 N. The site was previously home to Southern Comfort Mobile Home Park, which closed in 2019. The Tampa Bay Times reported on the park’s closure as residents scrambled to find new housing following a judge’s order to close the site due to the owner’s “decade-long failure to fix a sewage system that leaked bacteria into the ground and raised questions about the park’s drinking water.”

The judge and owner agreed to close the mobile home park in October 2018. Still, some residents said they were not informed until April 2019, when social services agencies began meeting with the families to aid them in finding help. Demolition began on the site as residents were still looking for places to live, the Times reported.

Aventon declined comment on whether the water issues had any resolution. The North Carolina-based developer purchased the property for $15.56 million from Southern Comfort Park Inc. on Sept. 21, according to Pinellas County property records, and Aventon secured a $59.1 million mortgage from Wells Fargo Bank NA on Sept. 24. The apartments will be developed through a joint venture with FCP, a Maryland-based private equity firm.

Aventon Clearwater’s buildings are designed by Orlando-based Scott + Cormia Architects, and the interiors will be finalized by Winter Park-based Beasley & Henley Interior Design. The project aims to be completed by summer 2023.

“Aventon Clearwater is an outstanding opportunity for FCP to invest in our first joint venture with the Aventon Companies, a highly respected apartment developer,” FCP’s Bruce Gago, who heads the firm’s Florida office as vice president, acquisitions, said in a statement. “We believe this new ground-up multifamily development comes at a critical time to help alleviate the general housing shortage.”

The apartments will feature a resort-style pool, dog park, fitness center and playground. A news release said the upcoming location will offer residents “convenient access” to employment centers like BayCare Health Systems headquarters, Mease Countryside Hospital, Morton Plant Hospital, the Lockheed Martin Tactical Facility and Tech Data Corporation.

“We are thrilled to be able to begin construction on our newest project in Florida, especially during a time when high-quality rental housing is sorely needed,” Burk Hedrick, vice president of development for Aventon Cos, said in a statement. “We look forward to becoming a trusted brand for high quality living in Pinellas County, for many years to come.”