(A) The Board will make public service program recommendations to the City Council that pertain to the use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership, and the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Programs.
(B) The Board shall be responsible for reviewing:
(1) All policies pertaining to fair housing in the City of Palm Bay;
(2) Activities being proposed for the annual CDBG Action Plan submission to Brevard County and the federal government;
(3) The Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) prior to its consideration by the City Council;
(4) All revisions to the State Housing Initiatives Partnership's Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP) prior to its consideration by the City Council.
(C) Annually, the Board shall review the established policies and procedures, ordinances, land development regulations, and adopted Palm Bay comprehensive plan and shall recommend specific actions or initiatives to encourage or facilitate affordable housing while protecting the ability of the property to appreciate in value. The initial report to City Council shall be submitted no later than December 31, 2008. Subsequent reports shall be submitted in the year prior to submission of the Local Housing Assistance Plan.
(1) The recommendations may include the modification or repeal of existing policies, procedures, ordinances, regulations, or plan provisions; the creation of exceptions applicable to affordable housing; or the adoption of new policies, procedures, regulations, ordinances, or plan provisions, including recommendations to amend the comprehensive plan and corresponding regulations, ordinances, and other policies.
(D) At a minimum, the Board shall submit a report to the City Council that includes recommendations on, and annually thereafter evaluates the implementation of, affordable housing incentives in the following areas:
(1) The processing of approvals of development orders or permits, as defined in Fla. Stat. 163.3177(6)(f)3, for affordable housing projects is expedited to a greater degree than other projects;
(2) The modification of impact-fee requirements, including reduction or waiver of fees and alternative methods of fee payment for affordable housing;
(3) The allowance of flexibility in densities for affordable housing;
(4) The reservation of infrastructure capacity for housing for very-low-income persons, low-income persons, and moderate-income persons;
(5) The allowance of affordable accessory residential units in residential zoning districts;
(6) The reduction of parking and setback requirements for affordable housing;
(7) The allowance of flexible lot configurations, including zero-lot-line configurations for affordable housing;
(8) The modification of street requirements for affordable housing;
(9) The establishment of a process by which the City considers, before adoption, policies, procedures, ordinances, regulations, or plan provisions that increase the cost of housing;
(10) The preparation of a printed inventory of locally owned public lands suitable for affordable housing;
(11) The support of development near transportation hubs and major employment centers and mixed-use developments.
The Board recommendations may also include other affordable housing incentives identified by the Board.
(E) The Board may perform other duties at the request of the City Council, including:
(1) The provision of mentoring services to affordable housing partners including developers, banking institutions, employers, and others to identify available incentives, assist with applications for funding requests, and develop partnerships between various parties;
(2) The creation of best practices for the development of affordable housing in the community.
(F) The approval by the Board of its local housing incentive strategies recommendations and its review of the City's implementation of previously recommended strategies must be made by affirmative vote of a majority of the membership of the Board taken at a public hearing.
(1) Notice of the time, date, and place of the public hearing of the Board to adopt final local housing incentive strategies recommendations must be published in a newspaper of general paid circulation in Brevard County. The notice must contain a short and concise summary of the local housing incentives strategies recommendations to be considered by the Board. The notice must state the public place where a copy of the tentative Board recommendations can be obtained by interested persons.
(G) Community development accomplishments will be presented to the Board on a regular basis.
(H) The Board will have representation at all public hearings/workshops that pertain to community development citizen participation requirements.
(I) Recommendations of said Board shall not be binding on the City Council. The City Council shall retain final authority and power to make binding decisions.
(Ord. 2003-27, passed 7-17-03; Am. Ord. 2008-39, passed 5-15-08; Am. Ord. 2020-39, passed 7-2-20; Am. Ord. 2022-58, passed 6-2-22)