Osceola makes move toward moratorium on development
Officials want to revise fees, standards
Osceola County might tap the brakes on growth by putting new development proposals on hold for as long as six months so officials can revise construction fees, parking and design standards.
In trying to navigate a need for workforce housing along with its cattle-ranch heritage, county officials say the board is moving forward after hearing widespread complaints about growth raised by residents throughout the county. The commission voted 4-1 for the moratorium last week.
“This board no longer wants a cheap house that doesn’t cover the cost of services that are provided by your local government,” said Osceola County Commissioner Fred Hawkins Jr.
The movement to suspend growth speaks to massive new communities proposed for the region as it nears full recovery from one of the nation’s worst housing busts. Osceola has approved what might be its largest project yet — 20,000 acres of Sunbridge, which is driven by the developers of Lake Nona.
The proposed moratorium also follows Orange County’s controversial approval last year of a 2,000-home project that has been winding through an appeal.
Osceola’s move met immediate opposition from the home-construction industry. Greater Orlando Builder Association President Jeff Schnellman said officials need to recognize the region’s economy depends on employment and housing.
“Growth is where jobs go home to sleep at night,” he said.
Orlando attorney Vivien Monaco wrote Osceola County last week saying she was confused by the commission’s broad-ranging discussion about the types of growth, zoning, development and construction rules that could change during a moratorium. And rushing to halt applications for upcoming projects robs property owners of their rights, she added.
“… The county may very well be unjustly destroying the rights that some property owners have acquired,” she wrote.
Extra fees to help pay for schools, fire services, parks and transportation in Osceola have added about $12,000 to $13,000 onto the cost of a house in recent years.
Osceola seeks time to revisit construction fees that pay for transportation. The hope, Hawkins said, is also to collect revenues up front so that crowded schools can get the money needed to build for new students.
Kerry Godwin, director of planning and design for Osceola, said the county had long been working on revisiting its growth standards and looks to this as an opportunity to “catch our breath and move forward.”
“We’re trying to achieve a good balance of live/ work and jobs-to-housing balance so we’re not just a bedroom community for Central Florida anymore,” Godwin said.
The moratorium would apply to applications not on the county Planning Commission agenda for Nov. 2. Certain exceptions could apply, such as economic development projects.
In addition, Hawkins said on-street parking should be restricted so that public-safety vehicles can quickly access homes and businesses during emergencies. At a meeting last week, county officials also touched on prospects to require solar panels on new houses and the need to shore up construction standards.
In addition, the county wants to see more diverse housing ranging from workforce-style living to luxury homes.
The proposal could kill any momentum that Osceola has going, according to the Greater Orlando Association of Builders.
“It’s a big deal to us,” Schnellman said. “The economy in Central Florida is still recovering, and the home-building economy is still recovering. Osceola is one of the later recoveries in the region, and you want to put the brakes on that in a county that’s got all kind of problems and is trying to attract business?”
Osceola is seeing growth in several areas, including around the NeoCity tech project that is home to the BRIDG research facility. Osceola is a part of the effort to bring Amazon’s HQ2 corporate offices to Central Florida.
And officials are exploring affordable housing with alternative housing types. In addition, its proximity to Walt Disney World makes it a longtime target for tourism projects.
A public hearing on the proposed moratorium is set for Nov. 6. mshanklin@ orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5538