Goal 5: Housing Choice

Provide safe, quality housing that is accessible to residents of diverse ages and abilities, and that provides both rental and ownership opportunities.

1. Coordinate with other local governments that have experienced success with housing incentives that could be implemented locally. (1-3 years)
2. In accordance with Goal 11, develop a common set of regulatory and funding strategies for local governments, including (1-3 years):

• • A menu of regulatory incentives to encourage affordable housing construction, improvements, adaptation, redevelopment, and preservation.
  • Regulatory strategies for encouraging market-rate housing that is diverse and affordable to a broader range of incomes, including nontraditional options such as accessory dwelling units, “missing middle” housing, tiny homes, and mixed-use buildings; and
  • Design standards that promote sustainability and energy efficiency, encourage healthy environments and lifestyles, and make it possible to travel safely and conveniently using walking, biking, and transit.
  • Potential incentives for affordable housing development to incorporate additional Universal Design components or additional ADA accessibility in units (grab bars, roll-in showers, the types of handles used, etc.)
  • Financial incentives to support affordable housing development
    (e.g., TIF rebates; brownfields incentives; gap financing; etc.)

3. Create enhanced incentives for developments that are permanently affordable (e.g., shared equity homeownership developments) to ensure the preservation of affordable housing. (1-3 years)
4. Develop programs that can be used to incentivize/recapitalize affordable housing that is nearing the end of affordability periods.
   (1-3 years)
5. Provide “development templates” or pre-approved building and site plans for affordable housing to expedite local approval processes.
   (1-3 years)
6. Establish priority areas for investment and potential pilot programs to support the retention and development of affordable housing. (1-3 years)
7. Explore consistent regulatory and process changes to simplify/expedite affordable housing development across jurisdictions. (1-3 years)

Community Land Trusts (CLT) create positive outcomes for low- to moderate-income homeowners

According to the National League of Cities:²¹

• CLT homeowners accumulate approximately $14,000 in equity when they sell their home.
• Almost 60 percent of CLT homeowners go on to purchase a market-rate home after selling.
• CLTs serve generations of homeowners and help cities exit the revolving door of subsidies for affordable housing.
• Interesting facts about Pinellas County’s CLT
  • The Pinellas County CLT program offers rental and single-family homeownership opportunities.
  • The County owns the land, the CLT is operated by the Pinellas County Housing Finance Authority, and the CLT is funded by the Penny for Pinellas Housing program.
  • Most of the participant households in the program are at 60% or below the AMI.
  • In Pinellas County, there are 642 Multifamily units and 73 single family homes participating in the CLT program, for a total of 715 units.²²

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²¹ National League of Cities (2022). Community Land Trusts: A Guide for Local Governments. Retrieved from https://www.nlc.org/resource/community-land-trusts-a-guide-for-local-governments

²² Kathryn Driver, Executive Director; Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County. Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County – Pinellas County