Why we need affordable housing
Can we stop the exodus of our workers leaving Collier County, and actually begin to bring them back? I believe we can, but first we have to want to do this and convince our county and city leaders it's essential we do this.
Let's talk a little about economics. Building market-priced housing is a good business, with increasing numbers of people wanting to live here. Owning a housing development with rental units is even better -- so long as demand keeps growing.
Each time a lease expires, the landlord gets to reprice his apartment. Florida law prohibits any interference in this free economic activity so if you can't afford that extra $1,000 a month your landlord wants, start packing. Someone is waiting to move into your home and you need to scramble to find a new place to live.
There are developers who successfully build affordable housing in Florida. It doesn't quite take a village to make the economics work -- it takes elected leaders who care about the problem. Some of the answers lie in the zoning rules.
Consider this -- most Collier County multi-unit housing goes on land zoned for four units per acre, BUT our county commissioners can change this to 16 units an acre at will. Or more if they want. In an effort to bring some affordable housing, they've offered this deal to market rate developers: "If you'll include 30 percent of your units as affordable, we'll give you up to 16 units per acre density."
On the surface this is a great deal. But it gets a little muddier. HUD has created an annual statistic called AMI (Annual Median Income). There are so many wealthy people in Collier County our AMI for 2022 is nearly the highest in the state -- more than $98,000. The 30 percent apartments reserved for affordable use are almost always designated for individuals and families earning 80, 100 and 120 percent AMI. So while it's terrific folks at this income level are getting apartments they can afford, the majority of our workers earn substantially less than 80 percent AMI. Fact is if you make $30,000 to $35,000 a year, like more than half our workers earn, a $2,000 per month rental apartment is way out of reach.
Recently a developer proposed building 208 "luxury" apartments off Vanderbilt Beach Road, with 30 percent of the units reserved for folks with AMI's of 80 percent and higher. While it made sense for questions about traffic and the environment to have been raised, I was horrified to hear some concern expressed about crime rates. We all have pictures in our minds of urban ghettos, poorly operated by city housing authorities. This is not what we are discussing here!
Our society is dependent on a body of workers who provide the services we require. They will care for us when we're sick, build and keep our homes running, offer groceries and services, teach our children, etc. These folks need housing proximate to their jobs. The idea they invite crime or will negatively impact property values is just plain wrong.
Even better than earmarking portions of developments for our workforce, let's build entire subdivisions specifically dedicated for those needing affordable housing. A new 1,300 unit development was recently announced in Orange County, with the support of the Disney Corporation. Similarly Universal Studios donated land on which 1,000 affordable units will be built, along with on-site preschool, retail space and a transportation hub. These organizations recognize without employees to serve their businesses and communities, you may as well turn off the lights. Experts estimate Collier County is currently short 10,000 affordable units, with this number growing annually by over 1,000 units. We need to do more to solve this problem, starting now.
There's an opportunity coming up to hear about this crisis first hand from some of our leading employers, like Arthrex, NCH, Collier County School District, the sheriff's office and others. A free forum will be held on Jan. 11 at 3 p.m. at NCH's Telford Auditorium. Sponsors for the event include Greater Naples Leadership, NCH, The Collier Foundation and the League of Women Voters. To register go to gnlwebsite.org.
Joe Trachtenberg is chairman of the Collier County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. He served for 11 years on the St. Matthew’s House board of directors, six as chairman. He is former chairman and CEO of Victaulic Company and retired to Naples in 2004.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Why we need affordable housing
