Affordable Housing Advisory Committee

AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY COMMITTEE CITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS 400 NW 73RD AVE PLANTATION, FLORIDA 33317 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2025 CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Maggie Zalamea at 4:38 p.m. Roll call was conducted by the clerk. A quorum was present. Present: Jon Auerbach, Carl Buehler, Toshia R. Drummond, Michael Dutko Jr., Mitchell Rosenstein (at 4:59 p.m.), Mayor Nick Sortal, and Maggie Zalamea Absent: Robbi Auerbach, Edwin Cordova Also Present: Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development (PZED) Assistant Director Michael Alpert; City Attorney Kerri Ezrol; PZED Grants Administrator Edlyn Griffith; and Councilmember Timothy Fadgen ELECTION OF OFFICERS Election of Chair/Vice Chair Maggie Zalamea moved to nominate Michael Dutko Jr. as Chair, seconded by Jon Auerbach. Motion passed: 6-0. Michael Dutko Jr. moved to nominate Maggie Zalamea as Vice Chair, seconded by Jon Auerbach. Motion passed: 6-0. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES January 9, 2025 Meeting Minutes Mayor Nick Sortal moved to approve the January 9, 2025, minutes as presented, seconded by Maggie Zalamea. Motion passed: 6-0.

NEW BUSINESS 1. Parking and Zoning Ordinance Discussion PZED Assistant Director Michael Alpert shared that the City Council had a Parking Workshop on March 6, 2024, along with members of the AHAC and four (4) other boards. He stated that Council recognized the importance of updating the City’s Parking Code. Further, a temporary moratorium was imposed on June 12, 2024, for the area around the Broward Mall and extended through March 8, 2025, to look at zoning issues. He explained that Staff conducted a workshop with the Planning and Zoning Board on February 4, 2025, to discuss these issues and reviewed a draft ordinance for their feedback and input. He reviewed takeaways from the conversation, including the negative impact of an overabundance of parking, and stated the P&Z Board agreed the parking requirements should be reduced with a focus on Priority Redevelopment Areas. He stated that Staff is recommending that when there is an Affordable Housing component of a project, parking requirements for those units would be reduced to 75 percent of the requirement for the market rate units. He shared a map of Priority Redevelopment Areas, as determined by Council in 2023. Continuing, Mr. Alpert advised that in addition to parking reductions in the Priority Redevelopment Areas and the reduction in projects with Affordable Housing units, proposed amendments include:  Projects that are made up of majority Workforce Housing units would be able to have up to a 25 percent reduction in setbacks from the requirement in that District  The City should adopt a new Transit Oriented Development (TOD) District that already contains reduced setbacks and incorporates other proposed incentives to encourage more Workforce Housing in mixed-use settings near major employment centers and transit hubs Mr. Alpert shared a City Zoning Map and advised that Staff is working to streamline and focus on areas where growth is happening. He noted with the future of Broward County’s Premium Mobility Plan (PREMO) and other projects, the City expects to have bus rapid transit (BRT) and possibly light rail, which would further enhance the potential for these sites. He stated that feedback from the public had been positive and discussed next steps for further review by the PZB and City Council. Mr. Buehler asked if there were specific parking requirement numbers available. Mr. Alpert reviewed briefly, noting the differences between types of development. He stated that developers know what is needed to make their project feasible, and parking waivers are common. He noted from his own observations, there is a lot of extra parking which is not needed and expensive to build, which is antithetical to the goal of providing affordable housing. He commented that this is a balance, as other areas have a shortage of parking. Ms. Zalamea stated she had attended the PZB meeting and was impressed by the amount and favorable nature of the public testimony.

Mr. Auerbach asked if parking waivers would still be available once the Code is changed. Mr. Alpert advised that they would, as the City cannot legislate for every situation. Mr. Dutko asked about the County’s PREMO plan. Mr. Alpert reviewed what is known about the plans briefly. Discussion continued regarding parking needs in various areas of the City, changing market conditions as more people work from home, parking in major cities, and transit improvements. 2. Strategic Planning Discussion Assistant Director Alpert stated there are 11 incentives the State asks the AHAC to look at each year, and a number of them have been addressed, but there is work remaining to be done. He used Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) as an example, and stated that the City needs to find ways to help facilitate their use to reduce housing costs. He shared that he and Ms. Griffith had joined a working group with the Florida Housing Coalition to learn more from what other cities are doing, such as engaging an architect to provide pre-drawn, Code-approved plans, and other ideas to help facilitate the process for homeowners. He commented on the recent Board Workshop with City Council, and stated when Ms. Zalamea spoke, Councilmember Denise Horland had shared feedback from the Silver Tsunami event in Boca Raton and asked the AHAC to organize a similar event. He stated this would focus on the needs of seniors in the City and would be held on November 6. Ms. Zalamea highlighted that St. Petersburg had approved 465 ADUs since 2019 and asked what the City can do to encourage and educate people. Mr. Alpert suggested a public workshop with a presentation and brochures to discuss the options with those who may be interested, as well as informing architects so they are informed when people approach them. Discussion ensued regarding the target market, various types of ADUs, impact fees, and seniors aging in place. Ms. Zalamea asked how many applications for ADU had been received. Mr. Alpert stated that he believed there were approximately five (5), most of which were in Plantation Acres. Mr. Auerbach suggested marketing the concept could include a page on the City’s website with information such as applicable lot size and rough drawings, a mailer in the water bill, and a workshop every year or six (6) months. Mayor Sortal suggested that Board members submit questions to Mr. Alpert, which could be cleaned up to create a flyer with an FAQ which can be distributed when staff members are out in the community. He shared example questions. Discussion continued. Mr. Auerbach asked if property appraisals could be adjusted to exclude ADUs. City Attorney Ezrol advised he did not believe so, as this was a Statutory process assigned to the County Property Appraisers office and while the City adopts a Millage Rate, assessed values are not determined by the City and would require legislative changes. Mr. Buehler noted that the Board had previously discussed having pre-approved plans and asked if there was progress on that. Mr. Alpert stated other cities had done this, but it had not yet been instituted in Plantation.

Ms. Zalamea pointed out another of the potential incentives is expedited permitting for affordable housing. She asked if this was something the City would be able to do. She noted St. Petersburg has a 10-day turnaround time, as they are putting money into it. Mr. Alpert advised that a year ago, he and his Director had sat down with the Building Official and Assistant Building Official to draft a policy memo to this effect. He stated if someone comes in committing to the 15 percent threshold, it will get through faster. He noted the City is in the process of hiring a Permit Concierge. Mayor Sortal provided additional details on the vision for concierge service. Mr. Rosenstein stated that he had reviewed the St. Petersburg strategies, and they are robust. He noted he appreciated that Plantation’s strategies are streamlined, but suggested more actionable language would better meet the intent. Discussion ensued regarding Live Local Act projects and situations in other communities. Mr. Rosenstein asked if Fire Department review was exempt from expedited permitting requirements. Mr. Alpert stated there are timelines under Florida Building Code and he did not believe they were exempt. City Attorney Ezrol confirmed the Fire Department is not independent in the way the School Board is when it comes to building. OLD BUSINESS 1. Housing Affordability Town Hall Minutes and Lessons Learned Assistant Director Alpert stated that he had provided the minutes for the November 7, 2024, town hall. He stated he saw the event as a success, though he had hoped for better turnout. Grants Administrator Edlyn Griffith highlighted two (2) upcoming workshops to discuss the First Time Homebuyer program and Minor Home Repair program, planned for Saturday, February 8, 9:30 a.m. at the Fire Station, and on Thursday, February 13, 6 p.m. at Central Park. She made a brief presentation regarding key takeaways from the town hall and benefits for residents, businesses, and local governments. She stated next steps are to continue the conversation while considering affordable living options for aging adults and exploring additional housing incentives. Ms. Zalamea commented that it is critical to find a way to get more involvement from all of the AHAC members. She stated one of the reasons the town hall had a poor turnout was that the date was changed due to the hurricane. She asked about small groups working with Staff to plan future events. City Attorney Ezrol advised of the Sunshine Law impacts. Discussion continued. Chair Dutko questioned how helpful it would be for the City to continue to try to organize events for all 31 municipalities in Broward County. He noted it may be better use of resources to have someone investigate what others are doing and report it to the AHAC. He stated he did not gain anything from having individuals speak from other cities, aside from learning more that individual cities are very different. He asserted the town halls should be more focused to more effectively convey the information and grow positive connections.

Ms. Zalamea noted the November event would be focused on senior citizens and commented that each member of the AHAC has something to offer and suggestions for speakers they have connections with. Mayor Sortal shared that the topic of advisory board members getting more deeply involved had come up recently, and suggested delegating tasks would elevate the end product if the Committee wanted to do that work. OTHER BUSINESS/DISCUSSIONS Chair Dutko suggested an agenda item to discuss goals from the past two (2) years to discuss progress. Mr. Alpert agreed. He noted that Staff had lined up speakers for the March and April agendas, as they also want to go beyond what has been discussed repeatedly. Mr. Buehler commented on the need for outreach and suggested the flyer on ADU could be handed out at Fire Department events. Mayor Sortal stated he would also reach out to the staff members responsible for the City’s social media. PUBLIC COMMENTS Cathy Bowers, Plantation resident, stated that co-housing and ADUs were being discussed by everyone in the work she does with aging organizations nationally and locally. She commented that realtors should be at the front line of this issue, and noted that disabled people need to also be considered. She stated that other ways to get the word out would be through estate planning attorneys because rental property is a tremendous opportunity; the Chamber of Commerce; and private investors. She noted that restrictions in many condos against renting and perhaps that could be adjusted. She discussed other ideas for getting the word out and thanked the AHAC for their work. Maude King-Bruce, Plantation resident, commented that it was unfortunate there was not a lot of turnout at the last town hall, but a lot of people had been working behind the scenes. ADJOURNMENT: 5:58 p.m.