Workforce Housing

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Palm Beach County’s Workforce Housing Program is an inclusionary zoning program that calls for creating units within market-rate residential developments of 10 or more units. The target market is households earning between 60% and 140% of the area median income that is not eligible for typical housing subsidies yet still struggle to afford housing in Palm Beach County, where housing costs have increased much faster than incomes.Workforce Housing Program promotes economic integration while increasing the supply of affordable housing. This innovative program, which was developed collaboratively by a task force made up of 11 representatives from the development community and county government, provides flexibility to builders and developers to build units on-site or to choose from different off-site options, including paying an in-lieu fee. In return, developers are eligible for incentives such as bonus density and faster development processing.Since 2018, the program has created 160 for sale workforce housing units in 6 developments, resulting in 86 units sold. Additionally, 72 units are in the pipeline. To promote long-term affordability, we have a 15 year affordability period (if sold within 15 years, a new period begins).