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Developers seek impact‑fee waivers for three Lake County affordable housing projects; board asks for preferences and details
Summary
Three multifamily affordable housing proposals — including a 150‑unit project in Fruitland Park — requested waivers of county impact fees. The Board of County Commissioners discussed local preference, school concurrency payments and asked staff to return with agreements before any final vote.
Three developers on Tuesday asked Lake County commissioners to waive impact fees to help finance affordable multifamily projects across the county; commissioners discussed conditions and asked staff to negotiate agreements and return for final approval.
Maria Abdul Kareem, director of Housing and Community Services, summarized Affordable Housing Advisory Committee scores and staff recommendations. The top‑scoring applicant in District 5 was Urich Street Apartments, proposed by ECG Florida: a 150‑unit multifamily development in Fruitland Park that requested a total of about $1.59 million in impact‑fee waivers. Two Atlantic Housing Partners proposals — a 44‑unit senior living project in Leesburg (about $478,764 in fees) and a 64‑unit Waterview at Lake Geneva project in Mount Dora — also were presented; the advisory committee recommended full approval for the top projects and said remaining waivers, if any, should go to Southwinds.
A company representative told the board the Fruitland Park site is already zoned for the intended use and that the final site plan received local approval. The developer said unit rents will be restricted at a mix of affordability levels (30%, 50% and 80% of area median income) and that typical unit incomes would range from roughly $25,000 up to about $85,000 depending on unit size and AMI band.
Commissioners debated several policy questions before any award: whether impact fees should be waived at all given county infrastructure shortfalls; whether preference should be given to Lake County residents; and whether the county should waive school or transportation fees. Housing staff reminded commissioners that waivers are discretionary, can be partial, and that certain projects (tax‑exempt bonds, 4% low‑income housing tax credit deals) require many subsidy sources for feasibility.
Commissioner Smith asked that staff seek a preference for Lake County residents where state funding rules allow. Commissioners also asked staff to confirm the developer’s commitment of a school‑concurrency payment (developers said they had agreed to a roughly $430,000 payment to Lake County Schools for the Fruitland Park project) and to return with draft agreements showing any local‑preference language, impact‑fee totals and any planned mitigation (for example, transportation assessments).
No final waivers were approved Friday; staff will return with proposed agreements and itemized budgets for each recommended project before the board takes final votes.
