June 24, 2026

Olea on 126th: Integrating StormCapture® to Unlock 100% Affordable Housing in Largo, FL

Olea on 126th: Integrating StormCapture® to Unlock 100% Affordable Housing in Largo, FL

Background

Olea on 126th is a 144‑unit, 100% income‑restricted affordable housing community in Largo, Florida, designed to serve working families who are increasingly priced out of Pinellas County. According to an article from Hoodline, every apartment is reserved for households earning roughly 40-80% of Area Median Income (AMI), with a program that intentionally prioritizes family-sized two‑, three‑, and four‑bedroom homes. The $55 million development is supported in part by $7.92 million from the Penny for Pinellas infrastructure surtax program and additional public and private financing typical for income‑restricted housing.

Oldcastle Infrastructure’s stormwater team partnered closely with county leadership, the City of Largo’s planning and infrastructure staff, affordable housing developers, and the general contractor to integrate a modern underground stormwater management system that preserves scarce buildable land for housing and parking.

 

Challenges

The development team faced the core challenge common to infill affordable housing: reconcile stringent stormwater and flood‑risk requirements with the need to maximize residential yield and family‑oriented parking on a constrained site. In Florida, this challenge is compounded by high groundwater tables and near sea‑level elevations, which often limit the feasibility of conventional detention and can drive up costs for underground infrastructure due to buoyancy control, excavation depth, and long‑term durability needs.

A traditional surface retention pond would have displaced valuable land area, reducing the total number of affordable units and associated parking and undermining the project’s core mission to expand housing access for lower‑income households. The team therefore needed a compact, reliable, and constructible underground system that could deliver flood‑mitigation performance while preserving buildable area for homes and daily life.

 

Solution: StormCapture®, Engineered for Florida Groundwater

Oldcastle Infrastructure supplied its StormCapture system configured as an underground storage and conveyance network that moves stormwater off travel ways, captures runoff, and safely detains flows to reduce localized flooding. To address the site’s shallow groundwater and buoyancy constraints, the system was designed with an internal chamber height of approximately 1.83 feet rather than the typical 2‑foot minimum internal height commonly used with StormCapture. This tailored internal geometry reduces excavation depth, improves constructability, and fits within the site’s geotechnical envelope without compromising storage volume targets across the assembled modules.

Precast concrete chambers were selected over plastic alternatives to speed installation, reduce life‑cycle cost, and provide inherent resistance to buoyancy in high water‑table conditions. Concrete’s mass and rigidity minimize the need for additional anchoring or anti‑floatation measures, simplify construction sequencing, and enhance long‑term resilience against groundwater fluctuations. The modular design allowed the project team to configure storage beneath areas needed for buildings and parking, reclaiming the land that would otherwise have been consumed by a surface pond. The design decisions increased usable land area for family-sized units and on‑site parking without sacrificing stormwater performance.

 

Sustainability Impact

By shifting stormwater management underground, the development reduces surface flood risk along pedestrian and vehicular corridors and improves everyday safety for residents, visitors, and service providers. Subsurface storage also helps attenuate peak flows, which can lower stress on downstream systems during intense storm events. Precast concrete delivers long service life and structural durability, supporting lower maintenance and embodied resilience over decades of operation.

The design aligns with resilient urban development practices by integrating critical infrastructure under the footprint of the community, which preserves open space for people‑centric uses and reduces the project’s horizontal sprawl. In Florida’s coastal context, the system’s buoyancy‑resistant construction and shallow profile are particularly advantageous, helping the property adapt to seasonal groundwater variability and extreme rainfall.

 

Community and Economic Impact

The underground stormwater solution directly enabled the build‑out of 144 units across a complete affordability spectrum that meets the needs of local workers-teachers, hospitality staff, first responders, and others who form the backbone of Pinellas County’s economy. By avoiding a surface pond and concentrating storage below grade, the project preserved housing yield and parking counts that are essential to a family‑oriented program.

The result is more attainable homes in a location that keeps residents close to jobs, schools, and services, which supports workforce retention and regional economic stability. Public investment through Penny for Pinellas, paired with modern infrastructure delivered via StormCapture, demonstrates that ambitious affordability goals can be met without compromising on safety, resilience, or urban design quality.

 

Outcome

Groundbreaking occurred in February 2026, with stormwater installation beginning the same day. Construction is scheduled to be completed by June 2027. When occupied, Olea on 126th will expand the supply of much‑needed family‑sized units in Largo, advance flood‑resilient site design, and provide a replicable model for integrating underground stormwater infrastructure into income‑restricted multifamily projects across Florida and similar coastal regions.

 

Conclusion

Olea on 126th showcases how targeted engineering adaptations within StormCapture can unlock land‑constrained affordable housing. By customizing internal chamber height for a high water‑table environment and leveraging precast concrete’s speed, strength, and buoyancy resistance, Oldcastle Infrastructure enabled the developer to prioritize people and homes while meeting stormwater performance and safety goals.

The project affirms that resilient infrastructure and affordability can move forward together, delivering long‑term environmental performance and community stability for Largo and the broader Pinellas County workforce.

 

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