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SW Ranches makes bid to put affordable homes in Pembroke Park
By Lori Sykes
Southwest Ranches is again trying to buy its way out of its affordable housing obligation, this time offering a developer and the town of Pembroke Park $900,000 to build 165 low-cost homes.
"When you think about affordable housing, it should be on a route of mass transit with job opportunities," said council member Don Maines. "But we don't have a corridor like [U.S.] 441 or University Drive in Southwest Ranches, and we don't have mass transit. Affordable housing in the town is not conducive to the area."
More than a year ago, officials offered North Lauderdale, about 13 miles to the north, $25,000 a year to take on a share of the town's housing requirements. But the state said it was too far away.
In 2003, when Southwest Ranches adopted its first comprehensive plan, officials learned they would need 630 affordable housing units by 2025. The state told the town to address the issue or lose control over its land use.
So, officials changed the zoning of a town-owned, 30-acre site at Sheridan Street and Southwest 190th Avenue to allow high-density building, which enabled the town to get its comprehensive plan approved.
But lots in the semirural town are generally sold by the acre, and housing would be too expensive, said Jaimie Ross, affordable housing director for 1000 Friends of Florida.
"A developer would not be able to build on the site because affordable housing dollars are only awarded to locations that are close to mass transportation and schools," she said.
For the past year, officials have been looking to place cheaper housing within 10 miles of the town.
With plans to build 268 units of affordable housing and 1,700 square feet of retail space in Pembroke Park, Pinnacle Oaks Ltd. was the only developer to answer the request, said Town Administrator John Canada.
The developer has a contract to purchase 7 acres that Pembroke Park owns on Hallandale Beach Boulevard and 52nd Avenue. But the firm is $900,000 short of the $1.8 million asking price.
If Pembroke Park agrees to sell the land, Southwest Ranches will pay the difference by taking out a loan, to be paid over 30 years.
Richard Rubin, Southwest Ranches' urban design consultant, said the plan is for the town to pay Pembroke Park and create a restrictive covenant to ensure the property is used for affordable housing. The units, he said, would then be made available at or below $34,620.
Before agreeing to the contract, Pembroke Park Town Manager Bob Levy said he wuld ask the developer to help ease flooding.
"That's a pretty good deal," he said. "The developer is going to pay less than $600,000 for the property because other government agencies are contributing to the pot."
The developer's contract is good until the end of the year. If it doesn't close by then, the deal is off, Levy said.
Lori Sykes can be reached at lsykes@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7907.