John Palmer sits at a baby grand piano in the lobby of his Orlando apartment building, striking a few random chords for an audience of no one in particular. The 73-year-old, retired after decades of work at a retail garden center, doesn’t really play the instrument; he just likes the way the sound carries through the expansive room.
With its gleaming white walls, designer décor and 9-foot ceilings, Pendana Senior Residences at West Lakes looks like one of the luxury condo towers near Lake Eola. Instead, it’s a $24.5-million affordable apartment development, where rents start below $400 a month, built on what used to be one of the most downtrodden stretches of the city.