HLC Criteria for Developers

Housing Leadership Council Endorsement Goals and Criteria

Goals:

  • Promote collaboration and cooperation that contributes to “win-wins” for as many new desirable workforce housing opportunities as possible.
  • Foster endorsement, not opposition, for needed new workforce housing opportunities.

Criteria:

Proposed development or redevelopment project should:

  • Accommodate mixed-uses (where feasible).
  • Include increases in density.
  • Accommodate, to the extent practicable, public or private transit and at a minimum, dedicate necessary rights-of-way for future transit use if it is not currently available.
  • Provide housing for a range of income levels and not just the upper limit of affordability.
  • Scatter housing and promote availability of housing close to the workplace for each geographical region of the county.
  • Be consistent with the research findings by the FIU Metropolitan Center; link current and future housing demand and supply to population and employment characteristics and projections; positively benefit the current mismatch between supply and demand; and ease the backlog of required affordable workforce housing.

Other Considerations That Enhance a Project:

  • Bona fide involvement by community partners.
  • Maximizes benefit for “essential workers”.
  • Maximizes availability of new workforce housing units.
  • Close geographic proximity to cluster(s) of workers.
  • Secure financing for project.
  • Timeline with immediate or near term results.
  • Certainty of ownership, zoning approvals and required permits.
  • Ability to be replicated if successful.
  • Discourages urban sprawl.
  • Fosters sustainable development principles including: Green Building and Communities criteria.
  • Will encourage preservation of affordability through land use restriction or other preservation strategy.