Residential rents in Lakeland rose an average 11.1% during the last year, but increases were far steeper — nearly 20% on average — near the center of town, according to information compiled by Rent Hub. Still, the central city has Lakeland’s lowest median rents; the highest were found in the southside ZIP codes of 33811 […]
Category: Housing
Posted inSocial Services
Mayor: Lakeland Is ‘5,000 Residences Short’ for a City Its Size
Skyrocketing home values and rental rates are issues across Central Florida but rising housing costs in Lakeland are particularly acute because it is “5,000 residences short” for a city its size, Mayor Bill Mutz said at a forum on housing and homelessness.
Posted inSocial Services
Video and Photos: Lakeland Homelessness Forum
Here are photos and partial video from “Humanity, Housing and Homelessness,” a forum held Thursday evening at Catapult Lakeland.
Posted inActivism, Housing
Mutz Pledges to Seek Fines on Owners of Unsafe Rental Properties
A pledge by Lakeland’s mayor to hold landlords responsible for clearing up unsafe living conditions drew enthusiastic praise from leaders of the Polk Ecumenical Council for Empowerment (PEACE) and the crowd of up to 1,000 people at a drive-in rally Tuesday evening.
Posted inHousing, Neighborhoods
City OKs 252 Apartments, the First of Several Complexes Proposed for Southwest Lakeland
The Lakeland City Commission Monday green-lighted a land-use change and development plan to allow Mosaic Development to build a 252-unit apartment complex at the southwest corner of West Pipkin and Yates roads. The 4-2 approval came after a public hearing that included little opposition, but despite concerns raised by dissenting Commissioners Sara Roberts McCarley and Bill Read […]
Posted inCity Hall / Local Gov't, Housing
$5.5M in Incentives Secures $127M in Affordable Housing Development
Lakeland secured $127 million in private investment for affordable and workforce housing projects by leveraging $5.464 million in funding and incentives from city, state and federal sources for 581 multi-family units that have been built or are currently under construction.
Posted inConsumer, Housing
Lakeland Rental Costs Have Leveled Off After Huge Spikes, But More Increases Are Expected
The average cost of rental housing in Lakeland has increased by more than 25.3% since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in March 2020, Apartmentlist.com reports. But for the second consecutive month, median monthly rents in the city appear to be stabilizing with a negligible 0.7% increase last month, according to the digital platform’s December Rent Report, which […]
Posted inHousing, Neighborhoods
Neighbors Oppose Apartments Near Lake Miriam Square
Neighbors are fighting a proposal to build 240 apartments on Publix property at the corner of Lake Miriam Drive and South Florida Avenue, The Ledger reports in a subscribers-only story. A major objection is the addition of traffic to an already congested area, but representatives of developer Preferred Apartment Communities said apartments will generate fewer […]
Posted inActivism, Housing
Planned Condo Introduces Co-Housing Concept to Lakeland
A lush, vacant lot across from Southgate Publix lined with stately oak trees is taking on a new life after a group decided it’s the right place for a shared residential lifestyle for seniors and adults with disabilities.
Posted inNeighborhoods
County Approves 188 Imperial Lakes Houses, Denies 200+ North Lakeland Apartments
Polk County commissioners today made very different decisions on two land-use issues that both faced major opposition from neighbors, The Ledger reports. They unanimously approved rezoning land at the Imperial Lakes Golf Course for 188 homes. They rejected 4-1 a request involving 200+ apartments that front U.S. 98 North and back up to single-family residences, […]