CDC of Tampa: 33 years working to improve community in East Tampa and beyond

For more than three decades, the nonprofit Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa has worked to improve lives and the community in East Tampa and beyond through affordable housing, workforce development, and youth leadership and job training initiatives.

Right now, the CDC of Tampa, as the nonprofit is commonly known, is in the midst of an ambitious campaign focused on a key community issue – attainable and affordable housing. The nonprofit has raised $6 million toward its goal of raising $10 million in capital over the next few years to fund the development of 1,000 units of housing and 100,000 square feet of commercial space. 

During an April tour of CDC of Tampa projects for the nonprofit Athena Society, CDC of Tampa Vice President Real Estate Development Vanessa B. McCleary says the majority of the organization’s budget goes to housing development and programs.

In recent years, the nonprofit used a Hillsborough County grant from American Rescue Plan Act funds to acquire and rehabilitate the 98-unit Armature Place Apartments. Construction is underway on Gardens at Diana Point North, a 24-unit affordable housing community of modern townhomes in East Tampa. CDC of
Tampa is also planning Knoll Pine Way, an affordable housing community of 18

single-family homes. The nonprofit is also making use of technological innovations. In partnership with Hillsborough County,  CDC of Tampa has acquired a 3D construction printer and is building its first 3D-printed home.

From youth programs to adult job training and placement programs, workforce sustainability is another priority. The YouthBuild program is a free-to-join career, learning, and life skills-building program for 16 to 24-year-olds, McCleary says. The organization also helps people find jobs, develop job skills, and figure out a career path.

Currently, CDC of Tampa is also part of a community partnership led by the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council to develop a mixed-use live-learn development near 29th Street and Lake Avenue in East Tampa. Plans for the development include 117 units of affordable housing across the street from the East Tampa Innovation Center job training complex, which will house Hillsborough Community College’s Culinary Arts School, the University of South Florida Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute, and the CDC of Tampa’s Tampa Vocational Institute.

Back in 1992, Chloe Coney formed the CDC of Tampa with a focus on community-building in East Tampa and beyond through affordable housing and workforce development. Over the last 33 years, the organization’s programs and initiatives have generated $750 million in economic impact, helped provide more than 14,800 people with workforce development and job training, and helped more than 3,500 youth graduate from high school. Partnering with other community organizations and local governments remains a key to the organization’s success, Coney says.

CDC of Tampa leads monthly tours of its projects and programs in East Tampa to give the public a better sense of the organization’s community impact work. During an April tour, McCleary guided members of the Athena Society, a nonprofit of professionals and leaders working to promote equality and opportunity for women.

The tour started at the Chloe Coney Urban Enterprise Center and traveled by van to

locations like affordable housing and commercial developments built by the CDC of Tampa, current construction sites, and the workforce development center the organization oversees. McCleary says the tour helps community members and contributors see how the CDC of Tampa leverages its various projects and programs to impact the community significantly. The monthly tours typically take place on the fourth Thursday of the month.

For more information, go to CDC of Tampa