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Committee presses for clearer disposition language to prioritize affordable housing
Summary
Advisory members urged the committee to add language or guidance to the disposition policy so surplus city lots can be prioritized for affordable housing; city housing staff said state statute already directs consideration of surplus lots for housing and staff will follow up with policy-holders.
The advisory committee reviewed proposed changes to the disposition and acquisition policies and focused discussion on whether the disposition policy provides a clear path to prioritize affordable housing when surplus city land is considered.
Paul Rich and other committee members said disposition (selling or transferring surplus lots) may be a more practical route to advance affordable housing than acquisition by the city. Committee members asked whether the housing department’s residential lot purchase program should be treated as an explicit path for disposing land for affordable housing and suggested adding direct language that prioritizes housing outcomes.
Betsy McDonald, city housing staff, told the committee that state statute requires surplus lots be considered for affordable housing and offered to consult the policy holder at City Hall about incorporating statutory language or guidance into the local policy.
Committee members discussed the trade-offs of explicitly citing statutes in local policy language (risking an outdated citation if the statute changes vs. embedding the statutory goals or plain-language guidance). Staff agreed to review prior proposed changes and report back to the committee.
Committee members also discussed appraisal practice for dispositions and acquisitions: the group agreed that licensed, nonconflicted appraisers meet Florida licensing requirements and noted commercial appraisals often show more valuation variance than residential appraisals.
The committee set follow-up work: staff will revisit the incentives report and re-circulate materials; members encouraged identifying one or two incentives for a deeper review and suggested considering ADU-related incentives for council discussion. The committee scheduled its next meeting for April 7 at 9 a.m.
