Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Development Districts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council backs Sandero Landing CDD and special taxing district after split vote
Summary
After extended debate about homeowner costs and commercial responsibilities, Homestead City Council voted to support the creation of the Sandero Landing Community Development District and a companion multipurpose special taxing district, allowing the developer to pursue county approvals that fund long‑term maintenance of internal infrastructure.
Homestead City Council voted Oct. 22 to support a county petition to form the Sandero Landing Community Development District (CDD) and a multipurpose special taxing district covering about 82.95 acres, clearing a major procedural step for developer D.R. Horton’s mixed‑use project.
Supporters, including developer counsel Maritza Harrow and D.R. Horton representatives, said the district is a standard funding tool to ensure stormwater, internal roads, landscape and lighting, and similar infrastructure are maintained in perpetuity. Representatives said the commercial portion of the project was intentionally excluded from the CDD so commercial owners would not be assessed at residential rates for site maintenance.
Opponents and several council members raised concerns that CDDs can obscure costs for homebuyers and shift long‑term maintenance burdens to residents. Council members asked whether the commercial parcel should share more of the maintenance burden, whether the city or county could be assigned ongoing maintenance responsibility, and how assessments are disclosed at the time of sale. Some councilors urged additional consumer disclosures and stronger assurances that the commercial component of the project will be built as proposed.
Council discussion ran more than an hour and included questions about bond debt, assessment methodology and the tradeoffs between spreading infrastructure costs over time through a CDD versus embedding them in initial sale prices. Staff and developer counsel said assessments and ERUs (equivalent residential units) will be established by a methodology consultant and that the commercial uses — typically assessed by square footage — often yield lower per‑unit assessments than residential lots.
Despite the objections, the council adopted resolutions supporting both the CDD petition and the related special taxing district, enabling the developer to proceed with county-level formation steps. The county will form the multipurpose taxing district and then transfer operational responsibility to the city pursuant to an interlocal agreement.
The council also asked the developer to report back with updates and requested the city manager and staff continue reviewing the assessment methodology and disclosure process so prospective buyers understand recurring obligations.
Ending: The votes will permit D.R. Horton to move forward with county filings; council members asked staff to return with additional detail on assessment methodology, timing and specific disclosure language to be provided to buyers.
