West Augustine's New 92-Unit Affordable Apartments Open After Nearly a Decade in the Works

Families are moving into new apartments on North Volusia Street in West Augustine this month, closing out a project that took nearly eight years to get off the ground. The Village of New Augustine, a $26.5 million, 92-unit affordable housing community, officially opened Aug. 18 after a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 280 N. Volusia St., giving St. Johns County its first large-scale affordable apartment complex at a time when local rents and home prices have climbed out of reach for many working families.

Every unit is reserved for households earning up to 60% of the area median income. Rents currently range from about $634 a month for a one-bedroom to $1,599 a month for a three-bedroom, depending on household size and income. The complex has 20 one-bedroom, 36 two-bedroom and 36 three-bedroom apartments, seven of them built to ADA accessibility standards.

The project was developed by the nonprofit Ability Housing in partnership with the West Augustine Historical Community Development Corporation. St. Johns County put more than $1.6 million behind it, including a $460,000 Affordable Housing Grant and $1.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds approved by the Board of County Commissioners. A Bank of America construction loan and financing through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation covered the rest, and a 2022 county ordinance that lets developers defer impact fees helped keep upfront costs down.

Beyond the apartments themselves, the property includes a community center, a computer lab, a library, a fitness center and a walking trail. Ability Housing and its partners plan to run on-site programs in adult literacy, employment assistance and personal finance for residents.

Joe Cone, assistant director of St. Johns County Health and Human Services, said the development is meant to work as more than just housing. The county's population keeps growing, he said, and the Village of New Augustine is designed to pair stable housing with the kind of support services that help families stay on their feet long term.

Nearly eight years from idea to move-in

The project traces back to groundwork laid years before construction ever started, with officials and community groups in West Augustine pushing for affordable rental housing in a corridor that has seen rising costs squeeze longtime residents. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in January 2024, and the complex took roughly a year and a half to build from there.

West Augustine has historically been one of the more affordable pockets of St. Johns County, but that gap has narrowed as growth pushes outward from St. Augustine and Jacksonville. County officials have pointed to projects like this one as a template for future affordable housing, pairing public grants with nonprofit developers and impact fee deferrals to make the numbers work in a market where land and construction costs keep rising.

Ability Housing has not said when the remaining units will be fully leased, and county officials have not announced whether additional affordable housing grants are planned for other parts of the county. For now, applications for the Village of New Augustine are being accepted directly through the property.

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