Agenda Item Name:
Title
Affordable Housing Strategies: Follow-up on Board Direction from September 17, 2019
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Presenter:
Ken Zeichner, 352-374-5249
Description:
This presentation is a follow-up to the Board of County Commissioners’ direction to provide options for affordable housing strategies in the wake of recent state legislation and request for a minimum density recommendation.
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Receive the presentation and direct staff to develop one or more of the following concepts to bring back to the Board for further review and direction:
1. Allow for substitution for non-residential components in Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs) with Affordable Housing;
2. Establish higher minimum density for new development with option for lower density development with provision of Affordable Housing or payment of Fee in Lieu;
3. Require Missing Middle mix of housing types with associated performance and design standards;
4. Evaluate Future Land Use Map and zoning designations in the Urban Cluster to identify areas where higher density Future Land Use categories and/or density ranges may be appropriate.
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Prior Board Motions:
September 17, 2019: (1) Refer to staff to return to the Board with creative options for incentives that would not draw funds from the General Fund and would enable linkage fees to be enacted by the Commission in compliance with State Law which clearly has some ambiguity; (2) Direct staff to return to the Board with a minimum density recommendation that the Board may be able to require.
April 2, 2019:
• Prepare Comprehensive Plan amendment requiring new developments to provide a percentage of workforce affordable housing or pay a “linkage” fee sufficient to provide affordable housing in another location in cooperation with local housing providers
• Prepare a Nexus Study
• County registers opposition to SB 1730/HB 7103
• Chair letter to City of Gainesville to inform that the County is relooking at affordable housing and requesting City work with County staff to identify opportunities for cooperation
.
Fiscal Consideration:
Fiscal Consideration
N/A
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Background:
As part of the evaluation and appraisal of the Comprehensive Plan, an Affordable Housing Workgroup was established to identify strategies for affordable housing. The workgroup met four times over a three month period in the summer of 2018. The recommended strategies were presented to the Board of County Commissioners in September 2018. Specific strategies were selected by the Board to be incorporated into the policy framework of the Housing Element as part of the update of the Comprehensive Plan that was adopted on November 12, 2019.
As part of the County Commission Special Meeting on April 2, 2019 discussing the Comprehensive Plan, the Board approved a motion to prepare a Comprehensive Plan amendment requiring new developments to provide a percentage of workforce affordable housing or pay a “linkage” fee sufficient to provide affordable housing in another location in cooperation with local housing providers, and related points including opposition to bills being considered by the Legislature to preempt or restrict adoption of inclusionary housing ordinances by local governments.
Subsequently, the 2019 State legislative session yielded Ch. 2019-165 that was approved by the Governor June 28, 2019, which included new requirements that would have to be met in connection with any inclusionary housing ordinance that requires developers to provide a specified number or percentage of affordable units or other alternatives in lieu of building the affordable units. Based on the legislative changes, staff presented information to the Board in September 2019 on the impact of the new law and approaches to complying with it, and asked whether the Board wished to proceed with further development of an Inclusionary Housing Program. The Board directed staff to return with information on additional options that would comply with the law and not draw funds from the general fund, and minimum density recommendations.