Hey Florida planners!! (Affordable housing in Keys)

[tsc]

I have family on the keys who are facing a planning issue. They live in what I believe is a low density residential area in the City of Marathon. They are currently dealing with the possibility of a rezoning to allow 25+units per acre "affordable housing" down the street. This would be in stark contrast to existing developement. There are some odd issues... as the property is a waterfront parcel (I know many are down there) but it seems odd that this parcel would be chosen for affordable housing. I googled and I see this is in the news down there. Anyone have any insights???

 

[plannerkat]

Keep in mind that "affordable" housing in the Keys is a $200K condo. Face it, land is scarce down there and the government workers, teachers, and service-sector employees should also be afforded the opportunity to live in a decent place. Sorry, I have very little sympathy when people try to use the "affordable housing" card to oppose development when most of us on this board live in housing that likely qualifies as such if using AMI as a measure of what is "affordable".

 

[sisterceleste]

Keep in mind that "affordable" housing in the Keys is a $200K condo. Face it, land is scarce down there and the government workers, teachers, and service-sector employees should also be afforded the opportunity to live in a decent place. Sorry, I have very little sympathy when people try to use the "affordable housing" card to oppose development when most of us on this board live in housing that likely qualifies as such if using AMI as a measure of what is "affordable".

Plannerkat is right...you need to define what you mean by affordable housing esp. in the Keys where there is a no growth policy and housing is very, very expensive. Affordable housing could mean that they are getting some federal subsidy that usually a small percent of the housing goes to those making $30,000 or less. Available housing is a real problem in the Keys where there are alot of service employment jobs related to the tourist industry.

 

[tsc]

I am not against affordable housing... I know all about it. I live in one of the most expensive counties in the USA where the median price home is about 600k.

I am also familiar with developers using "affordable housing" as a way to push the envelope. These units are proposed to sell for about $240, which seems to fall into the affordable guidelines down there. It just seems that they might be pushing the density on this lot. To build a multistory condo on a small residential street adjacent to single stories homes seems inconsistant. I would also wonder about a developer pushing affordable units on waterfront. Why start with a property with a really high value?

My family is not concerned with the people who would be buying the units, they are just really concerned about the density and the assurance that these units would stay affordable. They feel that this is getting pushed through on a fast track.

 

[Trail Nazi]

Have they checked the comp plan to find out if there are other higher densities in the area? There might be policies pertaining to providing adu's and this is one of the areas that has been identified on the comp plan. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of adu's around the state, particularly in that area where it is pretty expensive.