Affordable Housing Survey

The 4th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey 2008 - Ratings for Major Urban Markets. has been released. There is alot of good information in this report. It would be very useful if our leaders cared to be BOLD and think of the residents of Lee County!

Affordable Housing

Here is a link to an Affordable Housing site. This link takes you to the Overview of Project Search page. On the left side, you can click on different types of project categories. Not surprisingly there is no mention of Lee County, Florida. The site is called Design Matters: Best Practices in Affordable Housing. It is obvious that there is something wrong with our policies that we can not get the developers to produce quality affordable housing. As Steve McQueen said in the original "Thomas Crown Affair", when asked you he would try to rob a bank with all his wealth, he said,"It's the system." When the staff says, "oh well... that's the way it is!" when discussing the codes and how they add such a burden to projects that there is no affordable left when the system is through with a project. It is lovely to deal that staff, "I don't care attitude."

Ten Principles for Developing Affordable Housing

Ten Principles for Developing Affordable Housing from a ULI Report.

1. Inspire Leadership
2. Build Community Support and Trust
3. Learn the Alphabet . . . and Do the Math
4. Know Your Market and Your Customers
5. Nurture Partnership
6. Select Sites for Opportunity and Choice
7. Strive for Healthy, Balanced Communities
8. Use Design to Foster Community, Safety, and Pride
9. Empower the Residents
10. Orchestrate Sustainability

The question becomes, do you see these principles shining from our elected officials or the staffs that support them? If you have to answer no, than you understand why we are in the cycle of bad choices we continually find ourselves. Leadership and Vision are not our strong suit. I believe that to often, the staffs, are more concerned with politics and making sure that they are seen in what they believe is the best light and the community goes out the window.

68,500! Is This A Tax 2

Did you know that the Department of Community Development estimates that Lee County by 2025 will need 68,500 new affordable housing units. How does the County respond?

Here is an interesting idea for affordable housing and it does not require any fees. Very simply Granny Flats. Here is an interesting article about the Pros and Cons of Inclusionary Zoning from the winter issue 2007 of "On Common Ground" which speaks to the very issue the BOCC is discussing tomorrow.

My proposal is as follows...
1. No Fees
2. Give staff 2 months to come up with an overlay plan of where the county wants to encourage affordable housing. And what the maximum density that will be allowed in each area. The BOCC votes to approve the criteria.
3. (Here is the real incentive), if the developer meets the written criteria and correct location, they do not have to rezone the property. They go right to the Development Order process. Upon staff approval or denial of the D.O., it goes immediately to the BOCC for approval. (Since the BOCC does not approve the rezoning, the D.O. approval goes to the board for final approval.) A permit is issued directly after approval.
4. The process should be designed so that from application submittal to BOCC voting, it should take no more than (3) three months. (Remember time is money.) Instead of taking the years and a large number of consultants and time to rezone a piece of property as the current system forces everyone into and the false politicizing that staff uses for "red herring" road blocks.

I have always found that if you let the developers do what they do best (plan and build) and keep government staff at bay we will achieve the counties goal. 68,500 units of affordable housing!