Resources
The issues confronting Gainesville’s neighborhoods are varied, complex and unlikely to be resolved with simple solutions. Here we present a snapshot of several shared challenges with explainers, links to online resources and state law citations.
Vacant Parcels & Residential Land Use/Zoning, a City of Gainesville map showing the locations of vacant residential lots across the City published online in 2018.
Understanding Racial Inequity in Alachua County, a detailed report prepared by the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR), January 2018.
Alachua County Housing Trends, March 2023. This 11 page presentation prepared by the Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse, provides a snapshot of current housing trends in Gainesville and Alachua County.
Know your Home and Neighborhood: Easy-to-access resources to learn about the zoning, ownership, and valuation of your home and adjacent properties. This five page guide will take you step by step through City and County online zoning and property resources.
Glossary of city planners’ terminology. This two page document contains simple definitions of specialized, sometimes technical, terms and concepts used by professional planners.
Affordable Housing
While everyone agrees that Gainesville lacks sufficient affordable housing, there is no concensus on solutions. For example, flexible zoning and accessory dwelling units, both touted as steps to increasing affordable housing in the City of Gainesville’s Housing Action Plan, remain controversial and unproven. In September 2020 the Florida Housing Coalition created a Blueprint for Affordable Housing: An Action Plan for the City of Gainesville. In consideration of the issues described below, in June 2019 a group of Gainesville residents created a Draft Comprehensive Affordable Housing Proposal for Gainesville, Florida and presented it to City and County Commissioners individually. An overview of several key issues:
Inclusionary Zoning
A balanced primer about inclusionary zoning by Bloomberg CityLab.
While inclusionary zoning may add some affordable housing units, it may also have the perverse impact of driving up the price of housing overall, concludes this 2019 study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Inclusionary zoning is not a panacea for solving a community's housing challenges, says this comprehensive study by the Furman Center for Real Estate & Urban Policy at New York University.
Inclusionary zoning may create more affordable housing -- but there is no rigorous research demonstrating it reduces racial disparities or improves economic outcomes for residents, reports this 2019 Urban Institute study.
Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
A comprehensive 2014 assessment of ADUs’ impact on affordable housing that reveals many of the nuances of this approach. Among other observations, this post notes that while ADUs may create affordable housing, that outcome is not guaranteed and in fact has not occurred in some communities such as Portland, Oregon.
A fall 2020 proposed ADU ordinance in Chicago meets resistance from Windy City residents who question its impact on affordable housing.
A report on two case studies, Washington DC and Portland Oregon, by an October 2020 Urban Institute report found that the supply of ADUs increased when the larger mix of laws, regulations and practices were considered and barriers and risks to development were addressed.
Florida’s ADU law: See Florida Statute 163.31771 Accessory dwelling units. Note definitions for applicable income levels are provided in FS 420.0004. The most recent amendments to the statute in 2020 deleted the provision that a local government find there is a shortage of affordable rentals within its jurisdiction as a possible precondition for adopting an ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units in any area zoned for single family residential use. See Section 4 of Laws of Florida, Chapter 2020-27.
Community Land Trusts
Florida’s Community Land Trust law: See Florida Statute 193.018. Land owned by a community land trust used to provide affordable housing; assessment; structural improvements, condominium parcels, and cooperative parcels. A community land trust can be used to acquire land “to be held in perpetuity for the primary purpose of providing affordable homeownership.”
Linkage fees
Florida’s linkage fee laws. See Florida Statute 166.04151 Affordable housing. This statute authorizes a municipality to promulgate ordinances or other measures allowing land use mechanisms such as inclusionary housing or linkage fee ordinances for the purpose of expanding affordable housing supply. The linkage fee provision was included in Section 6 of Laws of Florida, Chapter 2020-27 which added the following provision: a local inclusionary housing ordinance requiring a developer to provide a specified number of affordable housing units or contribute to a housing fund must provide incentives to fully offset all costs incurred for its affordable housing contribution or linkage fee.
Other funding mechanisms for affordable housing
Florida Housing Finance Corporation. “Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing) is a public corporation of the State of Florida and is the state’s housing finance agency. As a financial institution, the Corporation administers state and federal resources to help provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for citizens in the Florida.”
Urban3, a real estate consulting firm based in Asheville NC, proposes that cities think of the land within their boundaries as real estate developers would. Their presentation slide deck for the City of Gainesville is found here. The video of Urban3’s Joe Minicozzi’s presentation to the City of Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency is found here.
Gentrification
Residents of historically Black neighborhoods near the University of Florida, including Porters Quarters, Fifth Avenue and Seminary Lane, have long expressing concerns about ongoing gentrification -- principally from the construction of more expensive student housing. Learn more about this issue via the following links:
“The Devaluation of Black Neighborhoods, the Case of Residential Property,” Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings.
“The Neighborhood is Mostly Black. The Home Buyers are Mostly White,” New York Times, April 27, 2019
The pace of gentrification can be determined by the movement of high-income buyers into low-income neighborhoods, concludes this 2020 Urban Institute analysis, using 2018 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and 2018 American Community Survey data.
In this 2017 article “Meeting and Beating the Challenge of Off-Campus Student Housing,” Dwight Merriam describes the economic advantage to property owners of student rentals in single-family neighborhoods and includes a description of some of the actions that have been taken in college towns to limit the conversion of single-family homes to rentals.
Zoning and Land Use
So called “up-zoning,” or changing the zoning code to allow taller or denser buildings, is not the panacea for decreasing interpersonal inequality in cities. In fact, public subsidies are required for the construction of affordable housing, according to a study from Utrecht University.
Proximity to green space can increase the value of housing and potentially displace long-term, low-income homeowners. Therefore, the retention of existing residents should be an explicit objective of any green space projects, reports this 2018 book, summarized in this Scientific American article.
Currently the City of Gainesville has delegated authority to issue final approvals of major development projects to City staff, without any opportunity for public process, at all. Attorney Terrell Arline, who has practiced land use law in Florida for more than 40 years, argues that public participation is necessary, and that the City’s stance is unconstitutional.
Infrastructure
Article referencing a 2011 report by the Preservation Green Lab and the National Trust for Historic Preservation which compares the reuse of buildings and new construction using Life Cycle Analysis and finds that the environmental savings are generally greater in reused buildings than in new construction.
The City of Gainesville did a self-assessment of its vulnerabilities in the event of extreme weather events, and potential impacts on stormwater systems, as part of a National Academy of Sciences project in Gulf Coast communities. The report, titled “FloodWise Communities Vulnerability Assessment for the City of Gainesville, Florida” is here.
Laws and regulations
Housing Development Toolkit, September 2016 (Obama “toolkit” includes many options)
Alachua County Land Development Code
Alachua County Comprehensive Plan
City of Gainesville Land Development Code
City of Gainesville Comprehensive Plan
Letter from Attorney Terrell Arline to City Commission regarding weakness of Gainesville’s public participation process, as compared to the rest of the State of Florida
-Florida Statute 163.3177 Required and optional elements of comprehensive plan; studies and surveys
Florida Statute 163.31771 Accessory dwelling units. Note definitions for applicable income levels are provided in FS 420.0004. The most recent amendments to the statute in 2020 deleted the provision that a local government find there is a shortage of affordable rentals within its jurisdiction as a possible precondition for adopting an ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units in any area zoned for single family residential use. See Section 4 of Laws of Florida, Chapter 2020-27.
Florida Statute 166.04151 Affordable housing. This statute authorizes a municipality to promulgate ordinances or other measures allowing land use mechanisms such as inclusionary housing or linkage fee ordinances for the purpose of expanding affordable housing supply. The linkage fee provision was included in Section 6 of Laws of Florida, Chapter 2020-27. In addition, Section 6 added the following provision: a local inclusionary housing ordinance requiring a developer to provide a specified number of affordable housing units or contribute to a housing fund must provide incentives to fully offset all costs incurred for its affordable housing contribution or linkage fee.
Florida Statute 193.018 Land owned by a community land trust used to provide affordable housing; assessment; structural improvements, condominium parcels, and cooperative parcels.
Bill Summary of CS/CS/HB 7103 — Community Development and Housing (Chapter 2020-27)
Maps and GIS Resources
Alachua County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Services
Alachua County Interactive Housing Resource Map (within GIS Services)
Alachua County Property Appraiser GIS Services
City of Gainesville map library
City of Gainesville Department of Sustainable Development Interactive Map (within map library)
City of Gainesville Development Projects Dashboard (within map library)
City of Gainesville Mid-century Survey (1930-1975) Phase 1 2018 This report provides an overview of Gainesville’s mid-century neighborhoods and surveys of Black Acres, Woodland Terrace, Libby Heights & Skyline Heights, Pleasant Street Historic District, Northeast Residential Historic District, Golfview, Palm View Estates, Carol Estates, and Florida Park.
Gainesville Mid-century Survey (1930-1975) Phase 2 2020 This report includes discussions of Florida Park, Kirkwood & Coclough Hills, Westmoreland & Palm View Estates, Carol Estates, Lincoln Estates, and Suburban Heights, as well as many individual buildings.
Correspondence with the City of Gainesville 2024
GNV Voices Board of Directors position statement re: Commissioner Eastman’s Upzoning Proposal is found here.
GNV Voices Board of Directors request to the City Commission for maps, data, research and discussions needed prior to upzoning all single family residential property in the City is found here.
Letter from Charles Gautier, FAICP, LLC to the City Commission regarding the Comprehensive Plan Update is found here.
Resources related to City of Gainesville 2022 Upzoning efforts
Order Canceling Petitioners’ Hearing and Placing Case in Abeyance is found here.
State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Notice of Hearing by Zoom Conference is found here.
Petitioners Carr & Williams Order Rescheduling Hearing by Zoom Conference is found here.
State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Petition for Formal Administrative Hearing is found here:
Alachua County Order Granting Motion to Intervene is found here.
Respondent City of Gainesville’s Motion for Expeditious Resolution is found here.
Petition for Formal Administrative Hearing, Petitioners Margaret H. (Peggy) Carr and Faye L. Williams is found here.
The State of Florida process for adoption of a comprehensive plan or plan amendment is found in Florida Statute 163.3184 https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2012/163.3184 The City of Gainesville is using the EXPEDITED REVIEW PROCESS found in section (3).
A chart summarizing the steps of the expedited review process can be found here.
The State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) issued its required comments, concluding, “Recommendation: The amendment must be withdrawn while the City continues to consider a sound planning approach to providing access to affordable housing in a manner that will be strategic, and focused, and based upon sound planning principles that will actually provide guaranteed affordable housing that is accessible from the City's employment centers and not in such a careless way that will result in the opposite effect then the purpose it was proposed for.” The full letter can be found here.
The Alachua County Board of County Commission’s comments concluded, “We recommend that the City delay consideration of adoption of this Comprehensive Plan amendment until the full extent of its potential impacts have been identified and evaluated through appropriate data and analysis.” The full letter can be found here.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) comments can be found here.
A letter to the DEO from 1000 Friends of Florida can be found here.
A summary of changes to City zoning in Ordinance #211359C can be found here.
A letter about cottage neighborhoods, from a Idylwild neighborhood resident, can be found here.
Information for the June 21, 2022 City Commission workshop to eliminate single-family zoning
The City Commission’s agenda for its 1:00 p.m. Workshop on June 21, 2022 has not yet been posted. It will likely include two reports provided to the Plan Board at its June 6, 2022 meeting. For reference, the Plan Board’s June 6th agenda is here. (That meeting’s minutes have not yet been posted, and more recent information is not available.)
The first report is titled “Draft Exclusionary Zoning & Inclusionary Zoning Study” dated December 2021. It was prepared by New York-based consulting firm HR&A, described on their website as a real estate and economic development firm. It is found here.
The second report, titled “An Affordable Housing Framework” and prepared by the City of Gainesville, is here.