by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
A nearly $10 million grant from Housing and Urban Development is pending for the construction of Community Housing & Resources’ 39-unit Riverview II development on Periwinkle Way.
HUD’s grant terms would open the development to anyone in Lee County, but the Sanibel City Council passed an ordinance on March 31 requiring applicants to meet conditions favoring Sanibel workers.
Applicant will ensure that each resident of the development will be:
i) An employee or owner on Sanibel of a business or other organization with a principal place of business on Sanibel;
ii) An employee or owner on Captiva of a business or other organization with a principal place of business on Sanibel;
iii) An individual who has previously worked on Sanibel for 20 years and who is retired or disabled.
Council member Laura DeBruce, who made the motion on March 31 to include these conditions, emphasized that affordable housing must be reserved for those working on Sanibel. Council member Holly Smith echoed this sentiment, saying, “We have to make sure this is for people who work here.”
It appears, at least for now, that HUD says the mandate Sanibel tried to impose is problematic, according to City Attorney John Agnew. He explained that the county’s feedback from HUD is that Sanibel’s conditions exclude a significant pool of people from consideration for housing and may be inconsistent with the Fair Housing Act.
of course ..its a national program financed by the FEDERAL government.. laws do not end at the causeway..it is surprising that the city attorney did not underscore this when the ordinance was passed. time to reconsider ?
the project should never have been passed by the council as it violates at least one code and perhaps others. A 2004 code mandated by popular vote states no increased density, additionally it will be the tallest building on periwinkle Way and it appears the majority of residents think it should be placed in a more suitable place both for the Sanibel and the future residents of the project. at the very least a project of This magnitude should have been put up for popular vote. It appears the current City Council has taken it upon themselves to make decisions on their own, and not always representative of the needs or wants of their constituents.
Jim Weyant
Totally agree. It’s not needed here. Such a tall bldg will lead to another tall bldg and so on. Loosing the charm of this island. The residents should get a say.
Several council members strongly advised this would happen if Laura persisted in her demands. She didn’t believe them or didn’t care. It’s unclear.
We all knew this was coming. Council greed may have exceeded its limits.
why are my straight forward comments awaiting moderation, whay does that even mean? am i supposed to moderate it or do you moderate it, either way that’s censorship. since when to newspapers censor articles or comments that are non-inflammatory and not scurrulous, vindictive nor affronting. jim weyant
where do Sanibel’s requirements discriminate against race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability
I guess council members nor others didn’t check the rules. What else is new?
They jammed this through at lightning speed to facilitate the ‘grant’ deadline for the developer. If this was a for profit development, it would be dead on arrival for design, density, height and excluded from the central business district. These are the same people who think mini-golf should be located in the heart of Sanibel. They don’t realize the Island Cow has been trying to sell the lots for 4 years, are not going to rebuild and are looking for a variance in order to sell it to a third party.