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Board of County Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Final October 30, 2024 7. ADJOURNMENT Recommendation 3: Addressed the USB expansion for affordable housing. The Board discussed that "affordability" meant a reasonable cost, requiring developers to include some infrastructure costs in home pricing. The USB should be adjusted through applications, not just by changing existing requirements. Without agreements, just shifting boundaries could lead to property owners increasing property prices. Chairman Adams commented that no single entity, government or private sector, could solve the affordability problem alone, and collaboration would not yield quick results. It has taken years to reach this situation, so it would likely require another 10 to 15 years to address it. She noted this discussion highlighted that moving the USB was not a definitive solution for affordability. Pushing it westward, away from essential resources, may not be beneficial. However, many properties and individuals outside the boundary consistently approach the County for assistance. Recommendation 5: Addressed increased densities for affordable housing. Chairman Adams stated that there was increasing interest in higher densities for affordable housing, which fell under Land Development Regulations (LDR). Staff would like to gauge the interest in exploring this topic further. She noted it had been discussed in the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) meetings and could be presented as recommendations from the AHAC, if that worked better. Chairman Adams was open to this approach since there may be other related topics to discuss. Addressing this separately would allow Mr. Balter to focus on the issue in the Oslo corridor without it complicating matters. The Board directed Mr. Balter and staff to investigate the area further, mainly looking for key areas for commercial development within the USB, where affordable housing could be built along the corridor, and the roles Vero Beach, Fellsmere, and Sebastian could play in providing utilities. Mr. Balter was to present his findings to the Board in May 2025. There being no further business the Chairman adjourned the meeting at 5:27 p.m. Indian River County Florida Page 8