Coral Springs has picked up a statewide award for the 13 townhomes Habitat for Humanity of Broward built in the city. The American Planning Association's Florida Chapter, APA Florida, gave the city an Award of Excellence in its Implementation Project category for the partnership, the city announced on Oct. 22. The award was presented this month at the 2026 Florida Planning Conference in Miami.

What the award is for

APA Florida hands out project awards every year to planning work in areas such as development, conservation, public engagement and implementation. Coral Springs won in the Implementation Project category, for a partnership that ended with 13 families owning new townhomes.

Tina Jou, the city's director of development services, said in the city's announcement that the award reflects Coral Springs' commitment to strategic planning and to partnerships that make a lasting difference for residents.

The homes behind it

The Coral Springs Townhomes are Habitat for Humanity of Broward's first partnership in Coral Springs, which the organization describes as an expansion of its footprint in the county. The development has 13 three- and four-bedroom townhomes, which Habitat says created homeownership for nearly 60 parents and children. Habitat frames the project as workforce housing for working families. It describes the community as energy-efficient, with street lighting, and says it sits near schools and a community park.

GL Homes, the Broward and Palm Beach County homebuilder, designed the townhomes. When it marked the groundbreaking in September 2023, GL Homes described them as about 1,800 square feet each.

Who paid for it

Habitat says the homes came together through public-private partnerships and individual home sponsors. It lists the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, EverBank, the Ansin Foundation, BBX Capital, the Community Foundation of Broward, the HG Charitable Foundation, Hoffman's Chocolates, IT'SUGAR, JM Family Enterprises, Publix Super Markets Charities and the Wadsworth Family Foundation among its sponsors. Habitat has held a home dedication ceremony for the families and posted a photo album of it on the project page.

How Habitat homeownership works

Habitat for Humanity of Broward pairs home construction with affordable mortgage financing for the families who buy the homes. Information on its homeownership program, its current communities and ways to volunteer or sponsor a home is posted at habitatbroward.org. The city's announcement of the award is on the news page of coralsprings.gov.

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