A new neighborhood is on the way in the heart of Brandon, promising affordable homeownership, and peace of mind, for local families. Habitat for Humanity hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on July 23 for Windhorst Commons, a 23- home community located at 205 W. Windhorst Rd.
The development is designed to tackle two growing challenges in the region: the shortage of affordable housing and the increasing severity of hurricanes. All homes in Windhorst Commons will include hurricane shutters, hip roofs and, notably, every structure will be built from concrete block construction on both the first and second stories. No wood-frame homes will be built in the community.
Windhorst Commons is targeted at families earning at or below 80 percent of the area median income. Brian and Cherrish Nakamura, parents of six children ranging in age from 14-4 years old, are among the families moving into a new five-bedroom home next year. Brian, a U.S. Army veteran, shared that for some of their children, this will be the first bedroom of their own.
“We are so grateful and honored to be standing here today,” said Brian. “You’re not just building a roof and walls, you are building a foundation for our children’s future.”
A second new homeowner, Michelle Range, lost everything in a home flood during Hurricane Milton and will soon begin building her new ADA-compliant home for herself and her two sons in Windhorst Commons.
“I want to say thank you, this means so much to me and my boys,” said Range.
All 23 homes will include hurricane shutters thanks to a generous donation from the Verizon Disaster Resilience Initiative. Verizon is one of several corporate and community partners supporting the Windhorst Commons project. Others include Hillsborough County government, Hillsborough County Affordable Housing, Carlton Fields, Publix Charities, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Leadership Tampa.
The community will feature a cul-de-sac layout and include a new park, which will be developed by Leadership Tampa. The main road through the neighborhood will be named Justice Landing, in recognition of sponsorship from the law firm Carlton Fields.
Tina Forcier, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Hillsborough, spoke at the event, reflecting on the organization’s rapid growth during her 11 years of leadership. Once providing only one home per year, the group helped 63 families build or renovate homes in 2024.
“We are so excited to follow our mission with this community. Twenty-three families will be living in this neighborhood that don’t have access to traditional mortgages,” said Forcier.
The event also marked a new chapter for the nonprofit itself. Formerly known as Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County, the organization has rebranded to Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Hillsborough, a name that reflects its expanding footprint across the region.
Since 1987, the local affiliate has collaborated with nearly 500 Hillsborough County families to build or improve a place to call home. The model combines affordable mortgages with required sweat equity hours and homeowner education, creating a path to long-term success.
Hillsborough County played a significant role in funding the initiative, contributing $1.4 million toward home construction and another $600,000 for infrastructure improvements. These contributions are part of the county’s ongoing commitment to increase affordable housing supply and support family stability.
Commissioner Gwen Myers, who attended the groundbreaking, reinforced this commitment: “We are going to continue to help families to have the opportunity to own the largest asset they will ever own in their lifetime.”
For Brandon, Windhorst Commons marks a significant step toward preserving housing opportunities for working families. With construction now underway, first move-ins are anticipated as early as next year.
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