Sunny Isles, Aventura push back against proposed mandatory workforce housing

2012 photo of the Miami skyline
2012 photo of the Miami skyline

One county commissioner’s proposal to mandate workforce housing in new developments is already catching flak from wealthy cities.

City officials from both Aventura and Sunny Isles Beach have reportedly spoken out against the ordinance, saying it’s not the right solution for Miami’s notoriously unaffordable housing market.

The proposal, sponsored by county commissioner Barbara Jordan, would require all new developments in Miami-Dade larger than 20 units to reserve a portion of their residences as workforce housing, according to the Miami New Times. The target incomes would be between $29,000 and $67,000.

In return, developers would get a density bonus to build above zoning restrictions.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

The plan has already attracted pushback: Aventura’s City Commission approved a resolution objecting to the proposal, and Sunny Isles Beach’s city attorney submitted a letter stating a similar sentiment.

According to the New Times, there’s already a voluntary program that exchanges developer density bonuses for workforce housing — but it hasn’t seen much success.

“It’s an important and laudable community goal to have workforce housing,” Truly Burton, executive vice president of the Builders Association of South Florida, told the New Times. “But having just one incentive — a density bonus that may or may not work — is an illusory incentive at best.” [Miami New Times]Sean Stewart-Muniz