The City Council in conjunction with the Charlotte County Commission recently held an affordable housing summit geared toward receiving input from the private sector on how best to provide affordable housing in today’s market.
As a part of the summits program City Staff identified policies currently available to the development community to help promote the provision of affordable housing. These policies are available on the attached table to further assist interested developers in providing affordable housing.
| POLICIES AND PROGRAMS |
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN (CP) AND/OR
CODE CITATION |
PROMOTES AFFORDABILITY THROUGH..... |
NARRATIVE FOR IMPLEMENTATION |
| Varied lot size requirements |
CP-Policy 4.1.1.2
LDR-Sec.3.7 (g).1 |
Provides multiple housing type and lot size options. |
The current City Code allows for development of 3,500 square foot lots all the way up to 9,600 square foot lots in limited situations. City Council may want to pursue expanding the allowance to create additional affordable housing opportunities. |
| Varied housing size requirements |
CP-Policys 4.1.1.1 & 4.1.1.2
LDR-Article 3 |
Lessening of construction material and labor costs through allowance of smaller structures. |
The current City Code does not establish a minimum structure size, has reduced minimum setbacks and provides that over 50% of the lot area may be used for development. |
| Density Incentives/ Inclusionary Zoning |
CP-Policies 4.1.1.1 & 4.1.1.11
LDR-Sec. 5.6.(a),(4) |
By providing affordable dwelling units, certain developments are able to maximize their net density.
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The current City Code only allows for density bonuses on PUD tracts of 5 acres or greater. The City Council may want to consider an amendment to the Code to allow for an “Affordable Housing” PUD of less than 5 acres minimum. The current “Transfer of Development Rights” section of the code could also be amended to promote affordable housing g through density transfer allowances for the provision of affordable housing. |
| Accessory Dwellings |
CP-Policy 4.1.1.10
LDR-Sec.3.7, 3.8 and 3.9 |
Provides an increase in the supply of housing, income for the property owner and less expensive housing for the renter. |
The current City Code is very proactive in the allowance of accessory dwelling units. The Code could be amended to allow for accessory dwellings in currently unauthorized sections of town. |
| Promotion of Infill Development |
CP-Policy4.1.7.1
LDR-Article 2 |
By providing housing opportunities to smaller households, discouraging urban sprawl through the use of existing infrastructure and less auto-dependency.
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The current City Code was written to encourage the maximization of all infill properties. The minimum 3,500 square foot lot requirement was a direct incentive for infill development. To aid in promoting the utilization of infill properties, the City Council may look into impact fee reductions of water and sewer transmission components given that the infrastructure has been in place. |
| Promotion of Non-Traditional Housing Developers |
CP-Policies 4.1.4.1, 4.1.4.2, & 4.1.4.4
LDR-Sec. 8.2 |
Streamlining of development process through a reduction in land costs, a reduction in service procurement timeframes and an overall reduction in bureaucracy. |
The current City Code relies on the use of Development Agreements for promoting the use of non-traditional housing developers such as non-profits, Community Development Corporations, etc. |
| Government Owned Lands Housing Opportunities |
CP-Policy 4.1.1.5
LDR-Article 3 |
An increase in affordable housing opportunities. |
The current City Code promotes mixed-use development which can lead to an increase in the supply of affordable housing. In the Post-Charley reconstruction phase of public buildings, thought should be given to providing affordable housing opportunities in any and all City-owned sites. In addition, the City is currently and has in the past entertained donation of City-owned property in return for the provision of affordable housing. |
| Permit/Development Approval Process Streamlining |
Not Applicable |
Reduction in costs associated with time consolidation. |
The City currently holds a very favorable time frame for turnaround of development plans and building permits. The City would benefit from consolidation of permits for multi-unit developments. |
| Modular Housing |
CP-Policy 4.1.1.2
LDR-Article 3 |
Lower construction costs than conventional housing construction. |
The modular home industry has improved the quality of their product to the point that modular housing is nearly indistinguishable from traditional housing. The current City Code does allow for modular housing and does take into account design standards for such structures to remove any remaining vestiges of inferior quality of design. |
| Planned Unit Development Zoning |
CP-Policy4.1.1.11
LDR-Article 5 |
Density allowances in return for greater flexibility of building siting and mixture of housing types. |
As described earlier, the current City Code does allow for Planned Developments. In order to encourage their use for affordable housing the City Council may wish to reduce the necessary acreage for projects providing affordable housing. |
| CDBG Entitlement Program for Housing Rehabilitation |
CP-Policy 4.1.2.4 |
The maintenance of existing affordable units which are owner occupied to current building code standards. |
The City currently receives an annual entitlement of just under $100 K for community redevelopment efforts. When combined with funds from the City’s share of SHIP funds provided from the State, one to two units of affordable housing could be rehabilitated annually. |
| Mixed-Use Zoning Allowances |
CP-Policies 4.1.1.2 & 4.1.4.4
LDR-Sec. 3.8 and 3.9 |
Intensification of allowable land development promotes more diverse housing opportunities, such as ground floor retail with living units above. |
The current City Code has two districts which promote mixed-use development, the Neighborhood Commercial (NC) district and the City Center (CC) district. The City Council may want to amend the Code to allow by right mixed use development in the NC zoning district. |
| Affordable Housing Impact Fee Deferral and/or Transfer |
PC-Policy 4.1.4.6 |
Reduction in the upfront fees for individual buyers or upfront costs fro developers catering to affordable housing market. |
The City Council has adopted an impact fee deferral ordinance for affordable housing. The deferral is good for the life of the structure or until the property is sold, transferred or the mortgage is refinanced, whichever comes first.
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