WE NEED MORE HOUSING

Tampa is suffering from a housing shortage after a decade of unmanaged growth. The comprehensive plan and related Land Development Code changes are the big "put up or shut up" moments on housing and economic development in Tampa for the rest of this City Council term. If City Council can't get this done, even more people will suffer, and the current model of deliberate economic segregation, of the haves and the have nots, will get worse, and worse. Kicking the can down the road is not acceptable to Tampanians, and doing the right thing will require real political grit.

A pro-housing agenda is the only path towards demonstrating meaningful progress towards solving our housing crisis by the end of this term.

This is the Pro-Housing Agenda

Trust recommendations from professionals

The FLU Assessment included a vetting list of recommendations, made by qualified planning professionals that already included extensive public input. It's already watered down with compromises that were intended to make it politically palatable. It is a moderate proposal, and must not be hijacked by special interests that are not concerned with housing affordability.

Adopt Bonus Provisions That Actually Work

Tampa's development model does not provide effective incentives for good development. State law preempts Tampa from requiring community benefits as part of development, but allows "Bonus Density" provisions, which allow the city to allow additional density in exchange for desperately needed community benefits, like affordable housing. The staff recommendations for bonus types are good, but the magnitude of the bonuses are extremely important! Economic feasibility of affordable housing required very large bonuses--we need upwards of 100%. A bonus system with an inadequate bonus will not achieve its goals.

Nodes and Neighborhood Commercial Districts For All

All neighborhoods will need to grow by 2045. This plan is for 2045. All neighborhoods will need to grow by 2045. Cities grow. No one has a special right to be excluded from reality. Limiting where change can happen, and preserving structures of economic segregation in Tampa neighborhoods, has well known policy effects that disproportionately harm vulnerable and underrepresented communities while raising the cost of housing everyone. All neighborhoods should identify growth corridors that incorporate anticipated growth.

Building Up our Missing Middle

We need to remove barriers to common sense gentle density. These are key recommendations that must be enacted:

• Adopt policies that blend density. Parcels adjacent to higher density development should "round up" rather than "round down" when calculating the allowed number of units. This is especially important in R-10, R-20, and R-35 land use categories.

• Remove language that specifically prohibits small scale missing middle housing that is compatible with single family neighborhood scale. Any building should be allowed that meets density, scale, and building standards on a given piece of land.

• Adopt a "Expedited Vernacular-Style Missing Middle Housing" program. Pre-approved, open-source building plans that reflect existing historical buildings should receive expedited re-zoning and permitting approval that does not allow discretionary political review.

Land Development Code Updates

We need to aggressively follow up changes to the comprehensive plan with changes to the land development code that implement the plan. A code that is out of sync with a plan results in chaos, inefficiency, and expensive housing for all. Major Land Development Code reform must be adopted by the end of this term.