(2016) I live in Bedford Pines ( Fourth Ward West) and felt very fortunate to be able to design the elevations and help with the plans for (96) Section 8 family units on Boulevard NE, a few blocks from where I live. We had 2 design schemes from which the FWW Neighborhood Group and Wingate Properties could choose. The Towers were part of my scheme and were approved unanimously over the 2nd scheme. The towers are evocative in human spacial symbology of protection as well as recalling the nearby Ponce City Market. A street museum was annunciated with arches recalling architecture from the nearby Auburn Avenue and creating a sense of place which felt comfortable. This housing is partially financed by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), where investors buy the 10 year tax credits for a huge discount and provide construction capital.
I was not involved with the site or floor plan designs and there is no substantial place for the children of the up to 96 mothers to play. When 4WW made this comment multiple times Wingate Communities and Martin Riley Architects (all men) totally ignored the request.
