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Record of Proceedings

Ocala Affordable Housing Advisory Committee Meeting - June 17, 2026

City Council & Boards — Wednesday, June 17, 2026
BodyOcala, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateWednesday, June 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:37:45

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0:00

Okay.

0:00

We're calling the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee meeting.

0:03

It's Wednesday, June 17th, 2026 to order.

0:06

Can we have a roll call, please, ma'am?

0:08

Yes, good mor good morning.

0:10

Ms.

0:11

Osborne?

0:12

Here.

0:13

Ms.

0:13

Dawson.

0:14

Ms.

0:15

Delva?

0:16

Here.

0:16

Ms.

0:16

Dryer?

0:17

Here.

0:18

Mr.

0:18

Peters?

0:19

Here.

0:19

Ms.

0:20

Randolph?

0:20

Here.

0:21

Mr.

0:21

Hill.

0:23

Thank you.

0:24

Okay.

0:25

Is if everybody has had an opportunity to review the minutes, I will entertain a motion to approve the question.

0:37

Thank you, ma'am.

0:38

Do we have a second?

0:39

Thank you.

0:41

Is there any comments from the public on the meeting?

0:44

Minutes.

0:45

Any comments from the board?

0:47

Hearing none.

0:49

All those in favor say aye.

0:51

Aye.

0:52

All those opposed.

0:53

Minutes approved.

0:55

And next we have the community housing services update.

1:00

All right.

1:00

Good morning.

1:01

James Haynes, Director, Community Housing Services.

1:05

So again, thank you for joining us this morning.

1:09

A couple of things that we wanted to talk about today before we get into the AHAC technical support.

1:16

First, we have our department name change and location.

1:20

We're no longer calling ourselves community development housing services.

1:24

It's community housing, which will better align to the things we're actually doing.

1:40

Some with the development name with some of the things that were more growth management.

1:44

Again, we would you know take those calls, but we part of the goal is to make sure people get to the right place as quick as possible.

1:50

So we've also had a location change.

1:53

We're no longer in this building.

1:55

We're currently now in the Lillian Bryant Center, um, just behind uh happiness homes across the street from the Mary Surich Center.

2:03

So far it's been a a good move.

2:06

Um we're excited, first of all, physically being able to have our entire department in one place.

2:10

We were kind of disjointed in this building, and so our move out allows growth management to be able to spread out and have um more room for for them.

2:20

Um and also brings our department together, which really really works from a communication standpoint, and our goal of getting more uh cross-training, more um access to the to the talents of of the group that we have.

2:38

And I'm very excited about the group that we have.

2:40

We've got some some newer members that we'll bring to the next meeting to introduce in our outreach and also a new admin person.

2:48

And it's it's been a great move for us this so far.

2:51

Um Monday, this past Monday, we just started a rental assistance program.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████████81%
Planning and Zoning██████10%
Homelessness████8%
Fiscal Sustainability█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Ocala Affordable Housing Advisory Committee Meeting - June 17, 2026

The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) met on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 9:00 AM in Ocala City Hall. The meeting included updates on community housing services, a detailed presentation on technical support for AHAC recommendations, and discussion of critical housing challenges, including veteran homelessness and expiring emergency housing vouchers.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of March 18, 2026, Minutes: The minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • C. Calabello provided an update on veterans housing: a motel near Medicakes has been purchased by Veterans Housing Corporation (a Miami charity) to house veterans; four veterans are already placed, with room for eight more and plans for a 44-person building. He also noted that Senator Rick Scott's office is working to reopen the grant opportunity for the VOA (Volunteers of America) veterans program, but no guarantee of funding. He asked the committee and city to consider a “life raft” if funding fails by September.

Community Housing Services Update

  • Department Name/Location Change: Director James Haynes announced the department is now called Community Housing (formerly Community Development Housing Services) and has relocated to the Lillian Bryant Center. The move unifies the department and improves communication.
  • Rental Assistance Program: A new $200,000 rental assistance program launched on June 15, 2026, repurposed from CDBG-CV micro business loan funds. The program assists with moving expenses (security deposit, first/last month) and rental arrears (up to 90 days). Eligibility: City of Ocala residents at or below 80% AMI, not assisted in the last four years. Expected to help 50 to 75 households, with first payments by June 26, 2026. About 70% of calls are from outside city limits.
  • Veterans Housing Update: VOA (Volunteers of America) missed a HUD grant submission deadline (no exceptions for lateness). Of 42 veterans originally affected, 38 remain; some have volunteered to relocate, including to Key West. The City of Ocala Continuum of Care (COC) is monitoring and assisting through coordinated entry. Dr. Dawson noted that OHA is receiving additional VASH vouchers (10 recently, 20 more expected) for veterans.
  • Annual Action Plan Presentation: For fiscal year 2026-2027, the city expects $514,897 in CDBG, $494,937 in SHIP, and a share of HOME (about 35% of county consortium). Focus remains on housing rehabilitation and rebuild programs. The city will also apply for the state’s pro-housing grant.

AHAC Technical Support Presentation

A representative from Florida Housing Finance Coalition presented findings and recommendations based on a full audit of Ocala’s affordable housing incentive strategies. Key recommendations included:

  • Expedited Permitting: Codify in land development code; establish cross-departmental coordination; target delays.
  • Fee Waivers: Create a formal fee relief program for affordable housing; ensure the existing Affordable Housing Incentive Fund (AHIF) is clearly referenced in annual reports.
  • Density Bonuses: Evaluate current 25% density bonus; consider expanding to include height, setbacks, parking flexibility.
  • Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs): Allow by right in all single-family districts; exempt from density calculations; reduce minimum lot size and setbacks.
  • Flexible Lot Configurations: Expand the Residential Zero Lot Line (RZL) district; reduce minimum lot sizes (currently 5,000 sq ft in RZL, 6,000 in R1AA); reduce open space requirement (currently 50%).
  • Inventory of Publicly Owned Lands: Improve transparency; define “appropriate for affordable housing”; adopt permanent affordability conditions on land disposition; move from spreadsheet to searchable online portal.
  • Starter Homes: Reduce minimum dwelling size requirements; allow missing middle housing (duplexes, triplexes) by right; allow administrative lot splits.
  • Local Housing Trust Fund: Expand funding sources (general revenue, proceeds from public land sales, in-lieu payments, bonds).

Planning Director Aubrey Hale clarified that the RZL district is problematic and largely dormant, though some PDs are achieving lots of 3,500–4,500 sq ft. The committee discussed the state’s new law (HB 399) requiring modular/manufactured homes by right in single-family districts. Staff will use the presentation to shape the next annual AHAC report, with board review over the next two meetings.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes on recommendations; staff will incorporate the technical support into the annual report process.
  • Next Meeting: Scheduled for July 22, 2026.
  • Urgent Concern: Dr. Dawson announced that 42 families with Emergency Housing Vouchers (originally part of a 9-year program) will lose assistance on December 31, 2026, due to HUD funding cuts. The Housing Authority cannot issue new vouchers this year. The committee discussed church partnerships and the need for a long-term solution.
  • State Ballot Measure: Discussion of the proposed homestead exemption increase (up to $250,000) for new homeowners; staff clarified it appears to apply only to new residents, and the impact on local government revenue is a concern.
  • Board Membership: Two positions may be open; a recommendation to reduce the board from 11 to 9 members is pending city manager decision.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. We're calling the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee meeting. It's Wednesday, June 17th, 2026 to order. Can we have a roll call, please, ma'am? Yes, good mor good morning. Ms. Osborne? Here. Ms. Dawson. Ms. Delva? Here. Ms. Dryer? Here. Mr. Peters? Here. Ms. Randolph? Here. Mr. Hill. Thank you. Okay. Is if everybody has had an opportunity to review the minutes, I will entertain a motion to approve the question. Thank you, ma'am. Do we have a second? Thank you. Is there any comments from the public on the meeting? Minutes. Any comments from the board? Hearing none. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed. Minutes approved. And next we have the community housing services update. All right. Good morning. James Haynes, Director, Community Housing Services. So again, thank you for joining us this morning. A couple of things that we wanted to talk about today before we get into the AHAC technical support. First, we have our department name change and location. We're no longer calling ourselves community development housing services. It's community housing, which will better align to the things we're actually doing. Some with the development name with some of the things that were more growth management. Again, we would you know take those calls, but we part of the goal is to make sure people get to the right place as quick as possible. So we've also had a location change.

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