Alachua County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Alachua County Growth Management Department
111 S.W. 1st Street, Room 6
Gainesville, FL 32601
Meeting Minutes
Members present: Darlene Pifalo; Don Davis; Gail Monahan; John Brunner; Juanita Biles; Patricia Lee; Robert Stroh; Shaun Wasdo; Tim Flanagan.
Others present: Ivy Bell, Senior Planner with Alachua County Growth Management Department; Mark Ludlow, services provider to the committee.
The meeting began at 5:10 P.M.
Approve Agenda & Chair’s Comments
Shaun Wasdo (Chair) commented on the joint City of Gainesville/Alachua County AHAC meeting held on September 23, 2008 and remarked that he was pleased with the number of Alachua County AHAC members that attended and with the discussions held during the meeting. Mr. Wasdo suggested that any future joint AHAC meetings would be chances to focus in more depth on affordable housing issues.
Old Business
The minutes of the Wednesday, September 10, 2008 meeting were approved. Mr. Wasdo thanked members for attending the joint meeting and briefly discussed tentative affordable housing issues the Chair of the City’s AHAC mentioned during the joint meeting.
Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) Process
Ivy Bell reintroduced the Evaluation and Appraisal Report process discussed by Ken Zeichner, Growth Management Department Principal Planner, at the July 16, 2008 AHAC meeting. The EAR process is mandated by the State of Florida so that there is an opportunity to evaluate the County’s Comprehensive Plan and recommend revisions to the Plan. Ms. Bell noted the timeline for the EAR process, remarked that the committee can provide meaningful input, and talked about the Affordable and Special Needs Housing Issue Paper provided to members in their handouts. After answering members’ questions, Ms. Bell noted that although the EAR process will continue into 2009, she would like members to provide any initial input by October 8, 2008, for inclusion in issue papers.
Surplus Public Lands Inventory
Mark Ludlow gave a presentation on the surplus public lands inventory completed in March 2008; this inventory is not only one of the eleven mandatory areas that the committee must review but is also required by Florida Statutes section 125.379. Mr. Ludlow remarked that of 270 county-owned parcels there were five parcels that initially appeared to be appropriate for use as affordable housing; upon further investigation, none of those five parcels were found to be appropriate for use as affordable housing and there are no county-owned properties on Alachua County’s surplus public lands inventory list. During discussion on the findings, a motion was made, seconded, and passed to have Mr. Ludlow explore the possibility of and report back to the committee on having the County’s Codes Enforcement personnel pursue dilapidated properties for possible clean-up and use as affordable housing, similar to the City’s process of actively pursuing decrepit property to utilize as land for affordable housing.
Affordable Housing Incentives Recommendations
Using the draft incentives forms as a guide, the committee began discussing recommendations for development planning and energy-efficient affordable housing issues. The conversations centered on the issues at hand but also touched on topics such as public transportation, lenders’ difficulties in obtaining accessory dwelling unit comparable values, and lot configurations. Public transportation, which is being taken into consideration more and more often when affordable housing issues are discussed, is unavailable in most areas of the County. Lenders face hurdles in determining values for accessory dwelling units because there are few such units in close proximity. Flexible lot configurations allow homes to be placed on smaller lots, thereby enabling lower land costs and providing opportunities for building housing on infill lots. Because of questions that came up concerning accessory dwelling units, modification of street and landscaping requirements, and transfer of development rights, the committee deferred their decision until they received further input on those issues. Mr. Ludlow indicated he would ask a planner from Development Services to come to the next meeting to answer member’s questions and clear up any misinformation. The committee indicated that for the 2008 report, no changes in current Alachua County regulations are to be recommended for the following affordable housing issues and/or areas for review:
- Allowance for flexibility in densities for affordable housing;
- Reservation of infrastructure capacity for housing for very-low, low-, and moderate-income persons;
- Reduction of parking and setback requirements for affordable housing;
- Allowance for flexible lot configurations, including zero-lot-line configurations for affordable housing;
- Support for development near transportation hubs, major employment centers, and mixed-use developments.
The conversation about energy-efficient affordable housing allowed members to discuss the differences between the energy star program and green building certification, the additional cost of building green, and the 25% permit reduction the City offers for building green. Concerning energy-efficient affordable housing construction, the motion was made, seconded, and passed for the AHAC to recommend that Alachua County:
- Offer the amount of permit fee reduction that the City of Gainesville offers;
- Expedite (Fast-Track) permits for green building;
- Encourage all utilities serving County residents to provide rebates for energy star and/or green building certified construction.
New Business
Darlene Pifalo volunteered to be AHAC representative to the Alachua County Affordable Housing Steering Committee. A motion was made, seconded, and passed for the AHAC public hearing to be held on November 12, 2008.
The meeting ended at 7:00 P.M.