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PAGE 85 Housing Element GOP Number GOP Language Recommended Action Comments/Rationale Vision Goals, objectives, and policies considered appropriate for assuring an adequate and affordable supply of housing in the county, conservation of the housing stock, prevention of blight and removal of blight-housing, and identification of roles and responsibilities for achieving stable housing conditions in the county are set forth in the following section. Revise Include reference to coordination with adjacent cities and counties. Goal A housing supply which permits all households to enjoy safe, healthful, and affordable living accommodations which meet accepted standards of affordability and which are located in pleasant environments where a sense of civic pride and personal well-being can be achieved. Revise Consider rewording for consistency between Goals in the Plan (awkward as written); also “sense of civic pride” is aspirational Objective 1 By 2020, the number of owner-occupied households paying more than 30% of their income for housing will be less than the 19% of owner-occupied households paying more than 30% of their income for housing in 2000, while the number of renter-occupied households paying more than 30% of their income for rent will be less than the 39% of renter- occupied households who paid more than 30% of their income for rent in 2000. Revise Remove target year and specific percentage baselines/targets. Rewrite to maintain intent but be more general. Policy 1.1: By 2015, all codes, ordinances, regulations, policies and procedures regarding residential development review and construction shall be reviewed by the Community Development Department staff to determine their impact on housing development costs. Those components which unnecessarily increase the cost of housing without impairing the health, sanitation, fire safety, structural integrity and maintenance requirements shall be eliminated. Revise Adjust Year. Revise Policy language to reflect Live Local Act. Policy 1.2: The county shall encourage infill development by providing infrastructure to infill areas, removing blighting influences, stabilizing neighborhoods, and providing private developers with information regarding available funding. Remove Remove, per County Staff. Policy 1.3: The County shall coordinate with the Florida Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to identify federal, state and other sources of funding, such as Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program funds, earmarked for very low, low, and moderate income housing and actively pursue those funds for local use by applying for funds when appropriate. The county shall also assist and support private applicants applying for these funds. Revise (Minimal) Change to Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Policy 1.4: The county shall continue to participate in housing bond programs (such as the Escambia County bond program) in order to provide below market rate loans to very low, low, and moderate income households for home purchases. The county shall inform financial institutions of the availability of the bond programs. Revise Remove reference to Escambia County. Use “County” reference. Policy 1.5: By 2012, the county shall, establish a web based permitting process. Revise Remove year. Not statutorily required, but could revise to indicate the County will regularly request and review user feedback to determine what changes are necessary to ease or better the online permitting process. Policy 1.6: The county shall take all necessary steps to eliminate delays in the review of affordable housing development projects. In order to define delay, the county hereby establishes the following maximum timeframes for approval of projects when an applicant provides needed information in a timely manner: • Administrative approval - 5 days; • Minor site plan - 5 weeks; • Major site plan - 6 weeks; • Special exception approval - 13 weeks. Whenever these review times increase by 150% or more due to the work load of the review staff, the county will begin prioritizing the review of affordable housing development project applications. In prioritizing affordable housing development project applications, staff will schedule affordable housing project applications for review before other Consolidate and Remove Affordable Housing is defined in the DIA. Assuming this definition applies here. County Staff experience challenges with the identified timeframes. Explore increasing the flexibility while staying compliant with Florida Statutes and still committing to faster reviews of affordable housing developments. Policies 1.6, 1.8, and 1.9 all discuss expedited reviews. As part of revising this policy, it should be consolidated with 1.8 and 1.9. Specific approval timeframes should be included in LDRs.