Commission approves sale of five city lots to community land trust; two Dewey Street lots pulled for more neighborhood review

Hollywood — The City Commission approved a purchase‑and‑sale agreement to convey five city‑owned vacant parcels to the South Florida Community Land Trust (BHP Community Land Trust) to develop affordable and workforce housing, with a last‑minute amendment carving out two Dewey Street lots for additional community review.

Ryan Coop, director of housing and community development, briefed the commission on a year‑long procurement and RFP process that recommended the land trust after a committee review. Coop said the approach prioritizes long‑term affordability by placing properties into a community land trust structure or similar ground‑lease mechanism that preserves affordability in perpetuity. "We wanted to make sure that via this process we build in safeguards to ensure that the city's investment will be maintained," Coop said.

Mandy Bartle, president and CEO of the South Florida Community Land Trust, told commissioners the organization has built and preserved small‑scale owner‑occupied and rental projects across South Florida for about 20 years and would conduct neighborhood charrettes to shape design, façade and scale. She said the organization targets homeownership and small‑scale rental options at income levels that would be affordable to people earning up to 80% of area median income, with potential deeper targeting down to 50% AMI where subsidies allow.

Commissioner Hernandez and other neighbors asked for additional community engagement and site renderings before moving forward with two Dewey Street lots that have federal deed restrictions requiring affordable housing. After discussion the commission amended the motion to remove the Dewey Street parcels from the current conveyance and directed staff to bring a separate agreement back after neighborhood meetings. The commission then approved the amended package for the remaining parcels.

Staff said the conveyed parcels will use a land‑trust model (ground lease and restrictive covenant) to preserve affordability; the land trust described an "equity‑share" resale model where a homeowner receives a portion of appreciation (typical model cited: 10% of market appreciation) while keeping resale prices within an affordable window for future buyers.

The approval is intended to convert long‑vacant city lots into deed‑restricted affordable units, including single‑family ownership prototypes and a small multifamily rental on one parcel. Commissioners and the land trust agreed to additional public outreach and formal design review steps before final purchase‑and‑sale execution for the Dewey Street sites.

Ending: The commission approved the purchase‑and‑sale agreement for the non‑Dewey parcels and asked staff and the land trust to schedule and document neighborhood meetings for the two removed parcels before returning with a separate agreement.