Habitat and Lennar present competing plans for two county parcels; commissioners ask staff to inventory available lots

Two organizations — Habitat for Humanity (St. Lucie & Okeechobee) and Lennar’s POM Atlantic division — presented competing proposals on Thursday to develop two county-owned parcels for affordable housing. Commissioners did not award the parcels and instead directed staff to return with an updated inventory of county lots suitable for affordable or workforce housing.

Chris Robertson, director of development for Habitat for Humanity St. Lucie and Okeechobee, said the nonprofit could fit 8 single-family detached homes on the larger parcel and another three on the smaller parcel, or two “twin-villa” townhome pairs. Habitat officials described a build-and-owner model that combines homeowner education and ‘‘sweat equity’’ requirements, and said they often provide mortgages at below-market or 0% interest to make monthly housing costs affordable. Habitat’s program director Donna Lee Asman told the board the organization can work with households at income levels from 60% to 100% of area median income (AMI); for a family of four, she said 100% AMI would be about $71,200 and 60% AMI about $42,720.

Matt Pesciotta and a Lennar representative showed plans to replat home sites and produce 24 narrow-lot, detached two-story homes — a production builder’s model that Lennar said can be financed through conventional mortgage channels or Lennar Mortgage. Lennar executives said the product would range from about 1,200 to 1,700 square feet with price points targeted in the low-to-mid $200,000s, and that Lennar would self-finance construction and build largely on spec while pursuing presales. Lennar asked the county to consider selling the parcels to a for‑profit builder; Habitat asked for the county’s partnership and noted different underwriting and residency vetting requirements.

Several commissioners and attendees raised concerns about density, lot width and neighborhood fit. A nearby resident, Christian Suarez, told the board he preferred Habitat’s approach and said 24 homes on the site would be too dense for the surrounding blocks. Commissioners asked about utilities, lot platting and timelines; Habitat estimated 10–14 months to begin construction after site work and roughly 18 months for build‑out of an 11‑unit proposal, while Lennar said it could close out a 24‑home project in roughly 13 months if approvals and utilities were in place.

County staff did not ask for a decision at the meeting. Instead the board directed staff to update a previously compiled spreadsheet of county-owned lots and return with recommendations that would allow comparison across options and support a policy-level decision on how the county wants to partner (nonprofit, for‑profit, mixed). The board noted that county-owned lots exist elsewhere and that different approaches may be appropriate for different sites.

No formal sale or contract was authorized at the hearing.