BRANDON, FL — Tampa General Hospital and USF Health employees will soon have another option for affordable housing closer to work as construction begins on a new apartment community in Brandon.
TGH and its development partner, The Michaels Organization, broke ground Monday on The Linden, a 170-apartment community at 9804 Delaney Creek Blvd., according to a news release from the hospital.
The development will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments to employees of Tampa General and USF Health who earn between 80% and 120% of the area's median income, according to a news release.
The community will include a swimming pool, playground, garden, dog park and shared gathering spaces. Plans also call for a 5,000-square-foot childcare facility operated by O2B Kids.
The development is intended to address housing affordability challenges facing health care workers and other working families, hospital officials said.
"When we care for our team, they are better prepared to care for the patients we serve," Tampa General President and CEO John Couris said in a statement.
The workforce housing development is being built on property that the hospital already owned along Delaney Creek Boulevard.
The project received $12.5 million in state funding, while Hillsborough County committed $2 million over four years to support construction, hospital officials said.
The Linden is located about a mile from Tampa General's Brandon Emergency Center. A free shuttle service will also connect the apartment community with Tampa General's main campus on Davis Islands and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in downtown Tampa.
"The Linden is a direct answer to the expressed needs of our team members," Qualenta Kivett, Tampa General's executive vice president and chief people and talent officer, said in a statement.
Hillsborough County Commissioners Gwen Myers and Chris Boles joined hospital and development officials for the groundbreaking.
"Housing was an issue then, and is still an issue today," Myers said. "People cannot afford to find a home. We are going to change that."
The Michaels Organization, which specializes in affordable and workforce housing developments, will provide asset and property management services for the community. Urban Practice is serving as the project's architect.
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