Development raises questions about attainable housing standards

Tired of waiving attainable housing requirements, Sarasota city commissioners are committed to following through on their calls for more affordable residential units as a developer seeks approval to construct townhomes near Laurel Park.

Although the commission has said it is committed to ensuring some affordable housing is incorporated into that develoment, that renewed commitment has also unearthed questions about the city’s existing attainable housing standards.

At a May 4 commission meeting, the board heard a presentation from representatives for Oaktree Development, a company proposing a townhome project of up to 20 units at 1938 Laurel St. The commission deferred any action at its April 20 meeting as staff investigated the attainable housing requirements the developer wanted the city to waive.

The City Commission allowed the developer to proceed with its plans — but significant questions remain about the final specifics of the project.

As it goes through the process of acquiring the county-owned property near Laurel Park, Oaktree is seeking an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan to remove existing site-specific development requirements. Currently, development is limited to 12 attainable residential units and 23,500 square feet of office space.

Despite the commission’s action, there’s still no guarantee the amendment will ultimately be approved. If the amendment proceeds according to schedule, the City Commission will weigh in again at a public hearing in November before it is adopted.

The commission — which has stressed the need for affordable housing — was focused on lessening the requirements rather than removing them entirely. By having perhaps two attainable units out of 20 total, the development could help the city’s quest for scatter-site affordable housing.

The board also questioned the requirements outlined in city regulations, which state the size and appearance of attainable housing units should be “functionally equivalent” to market rate units. Commissioners said that language could be tough on developers, and directed staff to investigate revising the wording.  

“If we don’t address the language in this, we’ll still be in this quagmire when we come back with the next investor,” Mayor Willie Shaw said.

City Attorney Robert Fournier said the existing regulations were written with the intent of having the Community Housing Trust manage the residential units. If a private developer were to manage them instead, he said it would make sense to replace that language with new specifications.

Representatives for Oaktree said they believed a workable solution between the developer and the city could be found, though they indicated they might need incentives such as a density bonus in return. Still, they were optimistic they could incorporate some sort of attainable housing to ensure the project moves forward. 

“We’ve tried to collaborate a lot with the city, as well as the county, to try to discover a workable solution for everybody,” said Michael Infanti, who manages Oaktree Development. “I think we’re going to be able to get there.”