☐ Consent Agenda ☐Quasi-Judicial Public Hearing
☐ Regular Business 6:30 pm
☒ Public Hearing Ordinance
DEPARTMENT: Planning & Zoning
SUBMITTED BY: Laura McClelland
PRESENTED BY: John Osborne
TITLE & DESCRIPTION:
title
Ordinance / Comprehensive Plan Amendment Adoption / Affordable Housing-Density (COMP-0015-2025)
body
REQUESTED MOTION:
A motion to approve/deny the proposed ordinance for the adoption of the comprehensive plan amendment related to bonus densities for affordable and workforce housing.
SUMMARY:
The following are proposed amendments to the DeSoto County Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Element that are related to providing higher bonus densities for designated Workforce and Affordable Housing developments within the existing Neighborhood Mixed Use Future Land Use and Urban Center Mixed Use categories. The amendments are limited to areas of unincorporated county that are in proximity to infrastructure and services. These higher bonus densities criteria have been clarified but relocated to the LDRs and are part of that amendment. Other amendments provide additional policy clarification and general clean-up
BACKGROUND:
The following provides a background for the need for affordable and workforce housing in unincorporated DeSoto County. Most new single-family residential subdivisions in the county are developed with relatively low densities (dwelling units per acre). The most common are the minor subdivisions (6 lots or less) and larger scale PUD zoned developments by major developers. For minor subdivisions, the lots can be larger (e.g., 5, 10 acres or greater) and can be as small as ½ acre if they meet the zoning requirements and any utility requirements by the State for well and septic.
Most larger scale single-family residential tract home builders prefer major subdivisions of 200 + units with 1.5 to 2 dwelling units per gross acre in private, gated communities and have PUD zoning. This low density is typically due to the likely presence of wetlands, typical sizing of infrastructure (e.g., roadway widths, etc.), providing amenities, the requirements of open space, buffers, setbacks, and stormwater ponds.
While both subdivision types are common, both types of lower density development can be financially challenging for the local government to serve in terms of revenue earned versus the cost of providing services and infrastructure. As an example, this is especially true when it comes to transportation capacities and the amount of driving (commute times, lane miles utilized per capita, etc.) that future residents and service providers will use in daily life. More lane miles used per household means more road miles for a local government to maintain.
Location and density are critical components to the efficiency of services that are mentioned in the Bonus Density criteria (Policy 1.1.4). However, due to the amount of detail associated and the need for the exact language in the LDRs, the policy has been generalized and the more specific language moved to the LDRs.
In terms of providing incentives or criteria for affordable housing, the County does have existing requirements for at least 10% affordable or workforce housing within villages. These are new developments within designated “New Communities”, which are established by the New Community Area Map, FLUEMS-8 in the Future Land Use Element. There are two New Communities on the map with existing entitlements mentioned in the policies under Objective 4.1. However, neither New Community 1 or 2 has yet to achieve any significant development or affordable housing.