Affordable housing and quality of life in the Keys aren't mutually exclusive

The Monroe County Workforce Housing Task Force is made up of purpose-driven intelligent folks. However, at their last meeting, I walked out scratching my head. The task force voted to propose a change in the county's height regulation (a rule to manage development and prevent high-rise eyesores) a rule that's been in our 2010 Comprehensive Plan since 1992.

A member of the task force, an architect, suggested to stay away from the controversy of this issue: "Why muddy the waters with something so sensitive to the residents as changing height limits. Let us stay focused on affordable housing," [His suggestion] received no support.

They then proposed a request for 3,500 new building allocations from the state Department of Community Affairs; then as an aside, someone made the comment with straight-face impunity: "We need a PR person because the residents don't understand when they speak of over-development in the Keys."

The hell they don't!

The [residents' and voters'] message, which I've been listening to for over eight years, is we're not going to let someone destroy our communities based on lazily arrived at solutions.

The residents want affordable housing on their terms.

Many feel this task force has been led to look at only one narrow view of the affordable housing issue — going vertical, increasing density, reducing parking, while facilitating the removal of truly affordable housing with 380 agreements.

What do you say to the folks of a mobile home park who look to you for help to protect their existing affordable housing rather than put millions of dollars in the pockets of developers from Palm Beach, who want to build million-dollar-plus homes? And then listen to groups lament we must build affordable housing.

The ongoing loss of existing housing, while you meet, creates serious questions of sincerity. It appears the group is trying to force a square peg in a round hole — and is hell bent on doing it.

The question begs, why?

Who has come before the Development Review Committee, County Commission, or individual commissioner with a project that has been turned down because of height limits?

None!

Quit being led by the nose to reach a prescribed position. I'm convinced — without doubt — affordable housing can be accomplished without need to go above 35 feet. You can't build yourself out of this situation without destroying our quality of life and the Keys as we know them. Bill Lowey stated, and correctly, no 380 agreement has done anything beneficial for affordable housing, yet the push by this committee is for the county's acceptance of these proposals.

If Marathon, Key West, Key Colony Beach, Key Haven, Flamingo Isle or Key Largo want high rises with 500 units of affordable housing, someone please step forward. Task force members, tell me where you propose putting them? Please, elected officials, chambers of commerce, at the next task force meeting step up and state specifically where you want them.

Think hard about this folks, 3,500 permits — high rise. Where are they going to put them? I'm all ears.

The Sadowski Fund accumulated a billion dollars for affordable housing, collected from a 1-percent sales transaction fee on housing; it was recently raided by the state Legislature to fund other projects. For me, that is proof positive that the state is less than sincere about affordable housing.

Only 26 units of affordable housing in Monroe County have been built in 2006, although nearly 300 permits/allocations are tied up with projects that have not moved forward for several years.

Your proposals represent unnecessary negative impacts to existing neighborhoods. You've taken a path of simplicity; a route of just changing the rules for the not-so-hidden agendas of others. This is all being done at a great cost to the taxpayers, those who need affordable housing and those who cherish the Keys. That's not creative. That's not planning. That's not growth management.

The Board of County Commissioners, on a 3-2 vote, approved $5.1 million to be spent on acquiring a restaurant and a dive sight. That amount of money could have easily offset much wastewater infrastructure cost for affordable housing, or produced 50 to 80 truly affordable homes.

Where were the influential members of the affordable housing committee when expressing absolute outrage at such irresponsible actions by the commission might have done some good?

Do you think the state is watching and saying, "They're about as sincere as we are about affordable housing?"

George R. Neugent is a Monroe County commissioner and a resident of Marathon.