HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Community Benefits CoalitionSUBMITTED INTO THE
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Affordable Housing Component of Miami 21 Must Be Strengthened
May 18, 2007- Working Document
Miami 21 is a comprehensive plan for the future development of Miami. It proposes an overhaul
of the city's zoning code, to create a Miami that is based around mixed-use, walkable, livable
neighborhoods. The City's Planning Advisory Board recommended that the City Commission
pass Miami 21, under the condition that the affordable housing component be strengthened. A
coalition of affordable housing advocates has formed to propose suggestions to strengthen Miami
21. After press coverage, meetings with Commissioners, the planning department, and the
Mayor's office, we have made some advances.
• Miami 21 will now state that the funds from the Public Benefits Fund that are designated
for use on affordable housing will go into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
• The Mayor's office supports a Commission action to establish an annual guaranteed set-
aside for affordable housing.
• The City will begin to track the income levels of persons who are accessing city -
sponsored affordable housing projects.
• Guidelines against flipping properties are now explicitly part of Miami 21's affordable
housing component.
Despite these changes, however, the Public Benefits Program still does not do enough to ensure
that Miami has a sustainable source for affordable housing. The following changes must be
made to the Public Benefits Program before Miami 21 passes:
1. More opportunities must be created to provide affordable housing or
contribute to the building of affordable housing
Since it is limited to projects being built in already dense areas that want more density to build
higher than they would otherwise be allowed, the proposed public benefits program will apply to
too few projects to be a reliable source of funding for — or creation of — affordable housing. In
order to address Miami's affordable housing crisis, the building of affordable housing should be
incentivized
Solution: Contributions to the Public Benefits Program must be mandatory for more projects.
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2. More community accountability
The proposed ordinance provides no guidelines for community oversight of funds collected for
affordable housing.
Solution: An independent community board must oversee the funds that the city collects for
affordable housing. This board must be established concurrent with the implementation of the
Miami 21 ordinance, and should represent a diversity of community interests.
3. Define affordable as affordable for working and poor people
The Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) was created to assist eligible households to
purchase housing, and to assist developers in building neve affordable housing and rehabilitating
old housing. However, the guidelines for the AHTF are far too broad in defining whom its funds
are meant for. By including households up to 150% of Area Median Income (which is well
above the income of an average Miamian) and failing to specify how funds should be dedicated
within that range, the guidelines fail to ensure that it will meet Miami's most critical housing
needs.
Solution: The Affordable Housing Trust Fund guidelines should be re -written to only go up to
120% of AMI, and to ensure that the majority of funds are used to help finance housing for
people at or below 80% of AMI, including Extremely Low -Income, Very Low -Income, and Low -
Income populations
4. Guaranteed annual funding for affordable housing
Under the current, pre -Miami 21 rules, ALL money contributed by developers who want to build
bonus stories goes towards affordable housing. Under Miami 21, these funds would be used to
build green space as well as affordable housing, with the City Commissioners deciding annually
how the money from the Public Benefits Fund should be divided between the two. There is no
guidance in Miami 21 as to how the funds should be spent, which puts commissioners in the
untenable position of annually deciding whether they want to build parks or build houses.
Miamians need and deserve both.
Solution: Miami 21 must guarantee that at least 70% of expenditures from the Public Benefits
Fund go to housing every year.
SUBMITTED INTO THE
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