Hillsborough County's school board approved a 55-year land lease for affordable apartments in Brandon. Teachers, bus drivers and custodians at Lennard High School, East Bay High School and other district schools would be eligible to live there.

The board voted Wednesday, Oct. 7, to lease six acres of unused property at the former McLane Middle School campus to Westbury Commons LTD, which would build and manage 100 to 150 housing units exclusively for district employees. Board member Jessica Vaughn cast the only no vote.

Deputy Superintendent Christopher Farkas estimated roughly 10,000 Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) employees would qualify to live in the development, Fox 13 first reported.

The district keeps ownership of the land. Westbury Commons would pay for designing, financing, building and operating the complex. Board member Patti Rendon said at the meeting that the district is providing the land only and is not becoming a landlord, according to Fox 13.

"The cost of living is so expensive in Hillsborough, many teachers can't work and live here," School Board Vice Chair Nadia Combs said at the Oct. 7 meeting, according to WTSP.

As of September 2026, a first-year HCPS teacher started at just over $48,000 a year. That fell roughly $3,000 short of what a single adult needs to cover basic expenses in the Tampa area, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator as cited by the Southshore Circle.

The planned complex would include amenities found in market-rate apartments, such as a clubhouse and a swimming pool.

Vaughn said she supports the concept of employee housing but has concerns about the Westbury Commons company and believes the project is moving too quickly.

McLane Middle School, at 306 N. Knights Ave. in Brandon, closed in 2024 because of declining enrollment. Only the unused land on the campus would be developed. The existing school buildings would not be affected.

The proposal still needs approval from the Hillsborough County Commission through a rezoning process. Community members will have a chance to provide input during that step. The district has not released a construction timeline, rent prices or details on how employees would apply.