Affordable Housing Advisory Committee 2008 Incentives Review and Recommendation Report
Introduction:
Local governments were required to establish an Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) by June 1, 2008. In Indian River County, the Board of County Commissioners created an Affordable Housing Advisory Committee on March 18, 2008. According to HB 1375, each AHAC must review the local government’s established policies and procedures, ordinances, land development regulations and comprehensive plan and must recommend specific actions or initiatives to encourage or facilitate affordable housing, while protecting the ability of property to appreciate in value.
The first AHAC report is due to the Board of County Commissioners by December 31, 2008. By May 2, 2009, the county must submit an electronic version of the report to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC). This submittal must occur in conjunction with the transmittal of the County’s next Local Housing Assistance Program update to the FHFC. That update is due to the FHFC by May 2009. After the initial submission, reports are required to be submitted triennially on December 31 of the year preceding the submission of the Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP) update.
The modification of impact fee requirements, including reduction or waiver of fees and alternative methods of fee payment for affordable housing:
Impact fees and utility capacity charges are one-time charges applied towards new construction to obtain revenues necessary to make capital improvements. Overall, these impact fees and utility capacity charges increase the cost of housing. Legally, impact fees must be applied to all activities that create a demand for capital facilities. Consequently, impact fees cannot be waived or reduced. There are, however, alternative methods of fee payment to assist income-eligible persons with the cost of impact fees and /or utility capacity charges.
The allowance of flexibility in densities for affordable housing:
Within Indian River County, the future land use map and zoning district designations establish a maximum density or intensity for all properties. Overall, density is an important factor in forming the character of a community and the preferred lifestyle of its residents. While higher densities may result in lower housing costs, higher across-the-board densities do not always translate into lower housing prices. Consequently, the preferred method for reducing housing costs through increased density is to provide affordable housing density bonuses associated with affordable housing projects. Currently, Housing Policy 2.5 and LDR Section 911.14 provide affordable housing projects an up to a 20% density bonus over the maximum density established by the underlying land use designation.
The reservation of infrastructure capacity for housing for very low income persons, low income persons, and moderate income persons:
Consistent with state law, the Indian River County Comprehensive Plan provides that no development, including housing development, shall be approved unless there is sufficient infrastructure capacity available to serve the development. These requirements are Concurrency Management System, of the county’s LDRs. This concurrency management requirement serves as the principal mechanism for ensuring that growth is managed in a manner consistent with the provisions of the comprehensive plan. In Indian River County, there are two types of concurrency certificates.
The reduction of parking and setback requirements for affordable housing:
As structured, the county’s Land Development Regulations establish minimum setback and lot size requirements for both single-family residential zoning districts and multiple family residential zoning districts. These setback requirements provide a standard separation between houses and between houses and roadways. For affordable housing projects, the small lot subdivision provisions of section 971.41 of the LDRs allow for a reduction of lot size and building setbacks for single-family homes.
Conclusion:
In the past, the county’s affordable housing incentives have worked well in encouraging non-profit housing organizations and for-profit affordable housing developers to provide affordable housing. With the minor changes to existing policies and regulations reflected in this report, as well as the addition of five new strategies, the county should be even more successful in addressing the challenges of affordable housing in the future.
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