Program Year (PY) 2026 New Construction Development of County Owned Affordable Housing Infill Property

The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from non-profit and for-profit affordable housing developers to design and construct new housing on 40 county-owned infill properties within unincorporated Hillsborough County, including Temple Terrace and Plant City, with proposals due August 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time via Euna Procurement. The project carries an estimated value of $6 million across multiple designated parcels on the County's Inventory of Real Property Appropriate for Affordable Housing under Florida Statute Section 125.379; only properties explicitly listed in the RFP are eligible for development proposals.

Eligible developers—both nonprofit and for-profit entities—may submit proposals for up to eight parcels, with certain properties designated as parcel groups that must be developed together. Single-family homeownership projects require demonstrators of prior successful construction of a minimum of 10 homes; multifamily rental projects require three previously completed affordable rental developments. All units must serve households at or below 80% of area median income, with emphasis on very low income, special needs, and homeless populations where applicable. Projects must achieve occupancy within 36 months of the executed agreement. Single-family and multifamily homeownership projects may receive up to $176,510 per unit from the Hillsborough County Local Affordable Housing Fund and State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program; multifamily rental projects are awarded without County funding. Developers must leverage a minimum of 25% of total development and construction costs from external sources. Developer fees may not exceed 15% of the total County award. For-profit developers of multifamily housing must pay annual interest of 1–3% on appraised property value. Projects must comply with the Florida Building Code, County Comprehensive Plan, Local Affordable Housing Plan, HUD regulations at 24 CFR Part 570, and applicable land development regulations.

The evaluation framework totals 130 points across seven categories: Project Team Experience (15 points), Performance of Past Subrecipients or Experience of New Proposers (15 points), Development Proposal and Project Readiness (30 points), Public Benefit (20 points), Leveraging (20 points), Financial Documentation (10 points), and Financial Capacity (20 points). The County may request oral presentations and Best and Final Offers from top-scoring proposers. Developers must be in good standing with the State of Florida for a minimum of two years and provide audited financial statements no older than two years, current tax clearance certificates, lender commitment letters, and evidence of liquid assets or lines of credit. Affordable housing affordability periods are 40 years for multifamily rental and 30 years for single-family homeownership. All proposals must be submitted electronically; late submissions will not be accepted. Two non-mandatory virtual pre-proposal conferences are scheduled for July 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. and July 30, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. A Cone of Silence is in effect. Insurance requirements include comprehensive general liability, automobile liability, workers' compensation, professional liability, cyber liability, builders risk, crime protection, and specialized coverage where applicable, with minimum limits ranging from $300,000 to $5 million depending on the coverage type; all liability insurance except workers' compensation and professional liability must include additional insured endorsements. Addendum No. 1 (issued July 20, 2026) clarifies that for-profit entities may submit reviewed or compiled financial statements in lieu of audited statements and confirms single-family homeownership proposers must demonstrate prior construction of a minimum of 10 homes.