Title
Discuss Draft 2022 Incentives and Recommendations Report (B)
Explanation
Section 402.9072 of the Florida Statutes provides that qualifying local governments (Cities and Counties) can participate in the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program and receive SHIP Program funds for affordable housing activities. Those activities include Down Payment Assistance, Homeowner Repair, Home Replacement, Mortgage Foreclosure Intervention, Home Buyer Training, Home Ownership Training, and others. Over the last five fiscal years (FY2016/17 to FY2020/21) the City has received approximately $3,000,000 in SHIP Funds.
To be eligible for SHIP Funds, the State requires local governments to take several steps, including appointing an Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC). Section 420.9076(4) of the Florida Statutes requires the AHAC to produce an annual Incentives and Recommendations Report (IRR) which reviews all local government plans, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations which impact affordable housing. The statute specifically requires the AHAC to review 11 listed types of strategies (incentives and regulations), plus any other affordable housing incentives identified by the committee.
Prior to 2020, the AHACs were required to produce an IRR every three years. In 2020, the Legislature changed the Stature to require the AHACs to produce an IRR every year. The City’s current IRR was adopted by the AHAC on October 12, 2021, only eight months ago.
Given the relatively short time period since the adoption of the 2021 IRR, the AHAC has not expressed interest in major changes to that IRR. Nevertheless, during the first half of 2022, the AHAC considered two possible changes that could be incorporated into the 2022 IRR. Those changes related to Expedited Reviews and Flexible Density, both of which are strategies that AHAC is statutorily required to review.
After discussing those possible changes, the AHAC decided not make any substantive changes to those recommendations, or any other of the recommendations from the 2021 IRR. In fact, the repeated consensus of the Committee has been that, except for an AHAC-initiated recommendation about Enhanced Community Engagement, the Committee is not comfortable with, and does not want, substantive changes to the 2021 IRR.
For those reasons, the attached Draft 2022 IRR contains no substantive changes, except for the new strategy calling for Enhanced Community Engagement. In addition, while the Draft 2022 IRR mentions the Exclusionary Zoning/Inclusionary Zoning Study, the Draft 2021 IRR does not endorse that study. Furthermore, the Draft IRR does not specifically discuss or mention any of the anti-exclusionary zoning proposals currently being considered by the Plan Board and the City Commission
At several AHAC meetings, the Committee emphasized the importance of meaningful community engagement early in the land development process, including during the development of the Comprehensive Plan, the Zoning Map, and Land Development Regulations.
The Committee felt that, in addition to a better development product for the community, this type of community engagement could result in more certainty for developers, as well as faster reviews and approvals. In other words, this could be a relatively inexpensive way to provide a meaningful incentive for affordable housing developers.
In the attached Draft 2022 IRR, changes are shown in red text; deletions are struck-through and additions are underlined. A map showing the City’s Generalized Zoning Districts is also attached. This map can be incorporated into the Draft 2022 IRR as Attachment 2.
Recommendation
AHAC members: 1) review the information provided; and 2) discuss any specific changes to the 2021 IRR that should be considered for incorporation into the 2022 IRR.