CLEWISTON, Fla. — Clewiston is planning two new housing developments that will boost the city’s housing supply by around 20%.
As FOX 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent, I work in this area every day, so I was able to talk to Clewiston’s mayor about what this means for a city facing an ongoing housing shortage.
Watch my report here...
“A lot of people are wanting to get out of major cities - the hustle and the bustle and the traffic - and Clewiston is just such a great place to raise families,” said James Pittman, Mayor of Clewiston.
With more people looking to move to Clewiston, the need for housing is high. To help, two new neighborhoods will be built on two plots of land north and south of U.S.27 in east Clewiston.
Pittman said it’ll add 500-600 homes - around 20% of the 2,800 existing ones. He said it’s much-needed relief.
“The housing situation here is high prices for moderate housing,” said Pittman.
In April, I told you the home values in Clewiston shot up 14% last year alone. Because of the demand, Pittman said U.S. Sugar rezoned the land for the neighborhoods to help tackle the housing issues.
Pittman also believes this could help solve the teacher shortage, made worse by high housing costs.
“For years and years, we’ve had a lot of trouble housing new teachers to come to the area. Every year we have a teacher shortage, it could be 30-60 teachers that need to be hired for that school year, and one of the major problems getting them to come here is housing, and the price of rental units,” Pittman explained.
The housing shortage is so severe that in May, I reported on how Hendry County Schools plans to build its own housing for teachers.
Pittman said the south development will focus on affordable homes, apartments, and condos, while the north will be upscale, featuring waterfront homes, a hotel, and a marina - both including commercial space along U.S. 27.
“It’s going to be a win-win for sure - for the school board, for the town, and for commercial,” said Pittman.
Pittman expects construction to start next year and take about five years, but phased building means families could move in sooner.
