Polk schools outline workforce-housing options including developer model and land trust
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Summary
District staff presented multiple workforce-housing approaches for Polk County employees: a developer-led mixed-use rental model (Upward Homes), community land trust options that allow equity accumulation, conversions of district property, and set-asides on new campuses; staff will circulate proposals and follow up with fiscal details.
Polk County School District staff briefed the board Feb. 10 on multiple workforce-housing models under consideration to support employees.
Superintendent Hyde described four approaches under review. One is a developer model highlighted by a Texas firm, Upward Homes, which builds a mixed-use community and leases units to district employees at competitive rents while assuming maintenance and vacancy risk. Hyde said the district has no financial obligation in the developer's model and that the company's revenue model centers on a town-center commercial component.
A second option is a community land trust: smaller developments (20'30 units) that allow employees to build capped equity; Hyde paraphrased the developer's proposal that mortgage payment be set based on no more than 20% of an applicant's annual salary to improve affordability. Hyde noted Polk County has no existing land trusts and staff plan to share the developer's breakdowns for board review.
Third, staff noted examples where districts convert existing buildings into workforce housing (Pinellas County example) and are researching financial and municipal partnerships. Fourth, the district may set aside acreage on new school campuses for duplexes or similar units; staff are verifying whether priority access would be given to school employees.
Kim Long of Polk Vision helped identify land-trust options and staff said they will circulate responses from developers and provide additional cost and financing details as part of the next steps. Board members and staff discussed timing and interagency partnerships and said they would return more information after due diligence.