Commissioners send infrastructure-surtax housing plan back for public review after split over homeownership vs. new units

Alachua County commissioners on June 10 directed staff to conduct community engagement and return with refinements to the evaluation criteria for the county’s new housing financing program funded by the Wild Spaces & Public Places surtax.

Staff presented a draft “Infrastructure Surtax” program (sometimes called ISD) and recommended using the surtax revenue to create low-interest, repayable loans for developers and, in some proposals, limited homeownership assistance. Ralston Riadika, housing and strategic development coordinator in Community Support Services, told the board the county had received three applications so far and outlined staff’s draft scoring and underwriting approach.

The debate turned on how to use limited surtax dollars. Under staff’s draft, about $54 million of surtax funding would be available for housing over the next 10 years. The staff proposal includes a 300-point evaluation rubric that gives weight to per-unit subsidy, local government assistance, location near services, share of units restricted to workforce income bands, developer experience, and energy-efficiency measures. Staff recommended loan-style awards (low or no-interest subordinate loans) rather than outright grants, modeled in part on Orange County’s revolving loan approaches.

Riadika said the two most-developed applications are from Bain Development for a senior project at West University Avenue (Royal Park Seniors), which asked for $5.4 million for an 88-unit scenario and up to $6.5 million for a larger 104-unit scenario, and JE Properties for Oakview Apartments Phase II (two sites on Northwest 10th and 12th Streets), which has asked for roughly $9.66 million for a 162-unit project with 92 workforce units and 70 senior units. Riadika told the board staff is still confirming details such as targeted income bands for some units and expected capital stacks from state or federal programs.

Staff also proposed a separate homeowner-focused option that would operate like a soft second: a subordinated, zero-interest second mortgage intended to bring otherwise marginal…