Regional Affordable Housing Initiative, Five Years Later | FPC 24

Regional Affordable Housing Initiative

FPC 24 Thursday, September 5, 2024

The Panel

Owen Beitsch

Senior Director, Economic and Real Estate Advisory Services, GAI Community Solutions Group

Elisabeth Dang

Planning Division Manager, City of Orlando

Rebecca Hammock

Development Services Director, Seminole County

Susan Caswell

Director, Office of Sustainability, Osceola County

Mitchell L. Glasser

Manager, Housing and Community Development Division, Orange County

Transformational: most likely to move the needle

Progressive: could have major impacts on housing delivery

Basic: preparatory to other measures placed into service

Short term strategies

• Code amendments to allow more types of “missing middle” housing including ADUs and small apartment buildings

• Reduce parking requirements

• Expedited permitting and permit fee reductions

• Impact fee reductions for affordable units and ADUs

• Build advocacy network

• Core team: Economic Development (Planning) and Housing & Community Development

• City staff allies: Real Estate, Public Works, Community Redevelopment Agency, Permitting, Code Enforcement

• In the community: Stakeholder meetings, Affordable Housing Advisory Committee

Medium term strategies

• City-owned sites for affordable housing

• Public/private partnerships (Creative Village)

• Sale to market rate developer, with proceeds going to offsite affordable housing (Bridge Club)

• Option to purchase townhome units at cost (Southport)

• RFP to seek an affordable developer (Piedmont Yard, Jefferson site, Roberto Clemente site, Grove Park site, CRA infill lots)

• Leverage available funding

• Majority of $58 million ARPA grant is funding homeless services and affordable housing

• Strategic property purchases (Code enforcement foreclosures, property swaps)

• Partnerships

• Parramore Asset Stabilization Fund

• Inclusionary housing

• Site-specific negotiation as part of a substantial rezoning request (Rose Arts, Lake Nona)

Creative Village

Southport

Palm Gardens

Seminole County

History

• Seminole County participated in a Regional Affordable Housing Initiative with Orange County, the City of Orlando, and Osceola County between 2016 and 2018, which concluded that many approaches with multiple policies and programs will be necessary to advance an affordable housing agenda.

• Actionable strategic plan was needed to help address this issue. The Seminole County Attainable Housing Strategic Plan outlines regulatory, programmatic, and financial recommendations that seek to promote development of and access to affordable and workforce housing.

• The Seminole County Attainable Housing Strategic Plan was accepted by the BCC in November 2020. The Strategic Plan outlines short-term action items; long-term action items; and needed financial resources.

Short Term Action Plan (1-3 Years)

Items Accomplished or in Process:

Basic Tools

• Amended Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code to allow ADUs as one method of responding to the need for affordable housing for smaller, singleparent, and aging households. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are permitted in all single-family residential zoning districts and separate Impact fee rates specific to ADUs were adopted.

• Amended the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code to remove regulatory barriers to promote missing middle housing types.

• Expedited permitting

Progressive Tools

• Community Land Trust Ordinance – Adopted March 23, 2021

• General Housing Trust Fund – Adopted March 23, 2021

• Hired an Attainable Housing Program Manager – November 2020

• Provided $460K (SHIP) in funding to a tax-credit developer to construct an 80-unit senior apartment complex within ½ mile of the Sanford SunRail station.

• Adopted new impact fee rates in 2021, waived most impact fees for affordable housing, and permitted reduced impact fees for workforce housing.

Long Term Action Plan (4-10 Years)

Items Accomplished or in Process:

• Land Banking – Established a Land Bank in conjunction with Land Management – January 2021

• Pilot Projects – 3500 Sanford Ave. Contracted with a CLT for the development of 5 single-family low-income residences. Habitat for Humanity is the contractor.

• $500K allocated to the General Housing Trust Fund each budget year.

• Foreclosure Registry and Vacation Rental Registry – Fees to be deposited into the General Housing Trust Fund

• Purchase Assistance Program – Using SHIP funds. ($430K) Assisting lowincome individuals with incomes ranging from 30% – 120% AMI

• We have currently built 11 single family dwellings using a $2 million ARPA revolving credit fund with the final goal being 15-20 total units built by 2026.