Placement: Consent Agenda
Action Requested: Motion / Vote
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Approval of the 2023 Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) Report
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Submitted By: Mendy Solorzano, Project Coordinator, Neighborhood Services.
Strategic Plan Link: The City’s Mission to be responsive to our community.
Executive Summary (General Business): As a recipient of funding through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program, the City is required to convene an Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) every year. The AHAC must review the housing incentive strategies mandated for review by the State and make recommendations to the City Council for incorporation into the City’s Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP). The committee was appointed through Resolution 23-R45, has had meetings per the required schedule and has provided the attached report of recommendations. This report is a summary of the review of the eleven affordable housing incentives and Committee recommendations as mandated by State of Florida legislation. A Public Hearing was advertised for November 16, 2023, for AHAC approval of the report. After the approval of the report by the AHAC and incorporation of public comment, if applicable, staff is now submitting the report to the City Council for approval on December 4, 2023. Once approved by City Council, the report will be officially transmitted to the Florida Housing Coalition (FHC) on behalf of the City of Port St. Lucie by the December 31, 2023, deadline.
Presentation Information: Staff are available for an overview and questions upon request.
Staff Recommendation: Move that the Council approve the recommendations as stated in the 2023 Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) Report.
Alternate Recommendations:
1. Move that the Council amend the recommendations as stated in the Report and approve the updated version of the 2023 Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) Report.
1. Move that the Council not approve the 2023 Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) Report and provide staff with direction.
Background: An Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) is to be appointed by the governing board of each local jurisdiction receiving SHIP funding pursuant to F.S. Section 420.9076. The purpose of the AHAC is to provide recommendations for strategies to reduce regulatory barriers to developing affordable housing in the community. The statute requires that the recommendations be presented to the local governing body, which upon approval by the board, must amend the Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP) to incorporate Local Housing Incentive Strategies. The jurisdiction must convene an AHAC for review of the incentives annually. The AHAC must review the housing incentive strategies in the LHAP to ensure that those strategies are being implemented and to recommend any additional incentives that may prove to be beneficial to affordable housing. The 2023 AHAC Report was presented, discussed, and approved by the AHAC at a public meeting on November 16, 2023. Once the 2023 AHAC Report is approved, it will be submitted to the State’s Florida Housing Coalition.
Issues/Analysis: The 2023 AHAC meetings were conducted between May and November 2023. The committee has been discussing the eleven affordable housing initiatives listed in the attached report, ranging from expedited permitting to development of affordable housing near major transportation corridors. A copy of the 2023 AHAC Report is attached for review. The 2023 AHAC has recommended changes and/or updates to 3 of the 11 incentives and to review incentives in detail in 2024 upon receipt and review of the Comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment. Per new State Legislation an elected official is required to be on the AHAC. Councilman Bonna was appointed and served as our elected official representative on the 2023 AHAC. The committee meetings were organized in close coordination with the Planning & Zoning Department, the Building Department, the Clerk’s Office, and the City Attorney’s Office.
Financial Information: N/A
Special Consideration: In order to comply, with regards to the City’s State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) funding, this report is required to be submitted to the Florida Housing Coalition before the end of the 2023 calendar year.
Location of Project: City of Port St. Lucie, FL.
Attachments:
1. 2023 Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) Report.
2. 2023 Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) Report Presentation.
NOTE: All of the listed items in the “Attachment” section above are in the custody of the City Clerk. Any item(s) not provided in City Council packets are available upon request from the City Clerk.
Internal Reference Number: 23326-01
Legal Sufficiency Review:
Reviewed by Russell Ward, Deputy City Attorney. Approved as to Legal form and sufficiency by Richard Berrios, Interim City Attorney.