Affordable Housing Development Incentives

The City of Orlando annually receives funding from the Federal and State governments to provide quality affordable housing.
Programs are available for construction, rehabilitation, and down payment assistance for recipients who meet income requirements.
The City has policies and procedures in place to review and award these funds.

The City of Orlando requires all developments to pay impact fees to support future infrastructure investments resulting from new development demands.
Certified affordable housing developments are eligible to receive reduced or waived transportation and parks impact fees.
Reimbursement for sewer and schools impact fees are subject to funding availability.
A developer with a certified affordable housing development would pay the impact fees when building permits are pulled, but would be reimbursed for impact fees, as described in the affordable housing certification letter, when certificates of occupancy are issued to occupants who meet income requirements.

The City of Orlando offers developers a density/intensity bonus to construct a greater number of dwelling units per acre or commercial floor area per acre than would otherwise be permitted. Any project proposing the use of a density bonus with Affordable Housing required Affordable Housing Certification.
The City provides a density bonus program opportunity for many of the City's zoning districts to receive additional density or intensity by providing on‐site affordable units in conjunction with another approved use.
The City also provides a program for some of the residential, commercial, and office zoning districts to receive a density or intensity bonus in exchange for an‐in‐lieu fee contribution to the City of Orlando’s Housing Trust Fund, or provide on‐site housing units that are dedicated to low and very low income households.

Alternative development standards, as described in Chapter 67, Part 6 of the Land Development Code, are intended to promote efficient land use and innovative design to encourage the development of very low and low-income housing communities.
Residential developments with at least ten contiguous dwelling units and a unit mix consisting of at least 20 percent of low and very-low-income units are eligible to apply for alternative development standards, subject to building site and a neighborhood compatibly standards.
Developers must submit applications to the Housing and Community Development Department for Affordable Housing Certification and to the City Planning Division for a Planning Official Determination for Alternative Development Standards.

The City is required by Florida Statutes to expedite the permitting process for certified affordable housing projects.
This means that certified projects are reviewed before market-rate projects, resulting in shorter review times.
The housing expediter on city staff works to resolve issues between the applicant and the Permitting Services Division as they arise.
In order to take advantage of expedited permitting, developers must receive affordable housing certification and follow related Housing and Community Development procedures for permit submittal from the start of the project.