Bonita raises density rates

Developers will have to pay more money into an affordable housing trust fund to receive permission to build extra homes, the Bonita Springs City Council decided on Wednesday in a meeting that once again triggered warnings about possible violations of the state’s open-meetings laws.

The new per-unit fee under the bonus-density program will now be $15,000 for multi-family homes and $25,000 for single-family. The fee had been $11,000.

The rates are only a stop-gap measure until Dec. 1, when a new per-unit fee will be enacted. The City Council also called for a special workshop next month to discuss the area’s affordable housing problems.

“There are so many more things involved in this than just putting a dollar amount on it,” Mayor Jay Arend said. “I don’t see us getting this done in the next 30, 60, 90 days.”

The voluntary bonus density program allows developers to pay a fee into a city-run affordable housing trust fund in exchange for permission to build more units than would normally be allowed.

The Council suspended the program in May after city staff said the per-unit fee was too low and wasn’t translating into additional affordable housing. The Council decided Wednesday to resume the program after members said development shouldn’t be held up while they argue over the exact amount of the fees.

On June 7, consultant Fishkind & Associates recommended the fee be changed to $131,000. The next day, Arend wrote a memo to other Council members saying that figure was too high. He suggested the $15,000 and $25,000 figures until a permanent number could be researched and decided upon.

Councilman Pat McCourt wrote a memo of his own suggesting higher fees based on the sales price per unit.

The memos brought warnings from staff and other council members Wednesday because the state’s open-government laws do not allow elected officials to to correspond with each other about city issues outside of a public meeting.

“You are having a meeting outside the meeting at that point,” City Attorney Audrey Vance said.

McCourt had received a similar note of caution previously when he wrote a memo about the city’s plans to redevelop downtown. He said Wednesday the process would go faster and better if the members were not relegated to giving their opinions only in meetings.

“We’re destined to a long, slow process,” said McCourt, who took office April 5. “I liked those backroom meetings in Michigan a lot better.”

Councilman Richard Ferreira said Wednesday he felt the $131,000 fee was reasonable. He said the council has been notorious for getting studies from consultants and, if the members don’t like the findings, getting another consultant.

“We are just shopping around to get what we want to hear,” he said.

Council members called for a special workshop in July to discuss affordable housing and to get information from Fishkind & Associates. No date has yet been set for that meeting.