ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando is making strides to address two major issues in the City Beautiful — homelessness and affordable housing.

The former Ambassador Hotel, off Colonial Street and Westmoreland Drive, has been converted into the Palm Gardens Orlando Apartments.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, District 3 Commissioner Robert Stuart and a list of other community partners gathered Thursday morning for the grand opening of the new affordable housing apartments.

So far, 95 units have been completed and people can start applying today. 

What You Need To Know

  • Palm Gardens Orlando Apartments were formerly known as the Ambassador Hotel, located off of Colonial and Westmoreland Drive

  • There are 150 units in the new complex including studio apartments and one-bedroom apartments

  • 95 units are completed and the remaining 55 are expected to be finished by the end of the year

The new complex will have 150 units in total, with 149 one-bedroom units reserved for residents with incomes at or less than 80% of area median income.

According to Palm Gardens Orlando’s website, a studio apartment will start at $900 a month, while a one-bedroom apartment start at $1,195 a month.

The new complex is also in proximity to several public transportation options for residents:

Officials said the project is the first approved for funding under the city’s Accelerate Orlando initiative, with more than $4 million coming from the American Rescue Plan Act.

As part of the funding agreement, Palm Gardens will have a 30-year affordability period starting from the date that all completed units have been leased, according to a city release. Annually, any rent increases will be restricted to the annual rates set by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, based on the income limits established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to ensure continued affordability, the release stated.

City officials said that this is just one of many temporary and permanent strategies they’ll keep working on to address the affordable housing and homelessness issues.

“The city of Orlando remains committed to ensuring that every person, regardless of economic status, has access to quality housing that is safe and affordable.”

The remaining 55 units at Palm Gardens Orlando are expected to be finished by the end of the year.