Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Affordable housing proposal criticized

Some opposition stems from the zoning changes needed. But most hinges on the fact that the city will get little tax revenue.

By ELENA LESLEY
Published October 11, 2006

CRYSTAL RIVER - Plans to annex 31 acres in a coastal high hazard area has residents buzzing about another infamous Crystal River annexation.

Only this time, unlike with RealtiCorp, they say the city wouldn't have anything to gain.

"There are some serious negatives," resident Phil Jannarone said of the project, which will provide affordable housing. "There is no advantage to the city."

The council approved the annexation during its first public hearing Sept. 25; a second and final hearing is scheduled Monday.

Florida Low Income Housing approached the city because new county designations would have required a redesign of the project, said Dan Wilson, a consultant with the organization.

Since plans for the project began in 2004, the county has designated the 31 acres south of Turkey Oak Drive and east of Yeoman's Park as coastal high hazard.

Now, Wilson said, "the county won't let us build what we wanted to build": 50 rental duplex units and 28 single-family homes.

But if the land is annexed, "the city will determine the restrictions," said Gary Maidhof, director of development services for the county.

Though Crystal River's current zoning wouldn't accommodate the full project, Wilson said the organization would hope to start building rental units in January and then negotiate zoning with the city to squeeze in the single-family homes.

Some residents have charged that parts of the project smack of 2004's RealtiCorp annexation, which was overturned by a circuit judge. RealtiCorp approached Crystal River after the county turned down its plans.

But some say this annexation would be even more misguided than the RealtiCorp fiasco.

"There's a lot of buzz about it, a lot of concerns," said council member Susan Kirk.

Mostly, the dissent comes down to money.

The rental properties, once occupied, would be tax exempt. In the wake of a massive tax hike for many local business owners and residents, Florida Low Income Housing couldn't have stumbled on a touchier subject at a more sensitive time.

"They'll be getting city services, police and infrastructure," Jannarone said. "And the city will be getting no income at all."

That's not completely true, Kirk countered. Residents would still be shopping in the city.

"People ask me, 'Why are we doing this if we're not getting taxes?' " Kirk said. "I tell them, people in the rentals will still contribute to the tax base, they'll still spend money here."

Aside from tax concerns, Kirk noted that some residents may not welcome the idea of affordable housing.

"They have preconceived notions of deteriorating, slumlike housing," she said. "There's a stigma."

But it should be part of the city's job to combat such stereotypes and give low-wage workers suitable housing options, she said.

"It's important to provide housing to those making their best effort at a good living," she said. "It's the role of government, one of the things government does."

According to numerous studies, it's something the county needs. United Way of Citrus County recently identified a lack of affordable housing as one of the most pressing issues in the area. Citrus is short some 5,000 to 6,000 affordable homes, Wilson said.

"Believe it or not, this county has more poor people than rich people," he said.

But council members aren't sure this is the right project to house them. Kirk said she'd like to find out how much more affordable housing Crystal River itself needs.

In addition, the city can't guarantee any zoning changes. Most of Crystal River is designated coastal high hazard, and Florida Low Income Housing would have to jump through a number of bureaucratic hoops, she said.

"We're a height- and density-sensitive community," Kirk said.

During negotiations, she continued, the council also would need to secure some benefits for the city.

"We'd need some guarantee that the taxable part of the project would be built," Kirk said. "We'd need to hold their feet to the fire."

[Last modified October 10, 2006, 22:09:33]