The City of Hialeah has introduced a bold new housing ordinance aimed at expanding affordable housing while preserving the city’s working-class identity. Building on Florida’s Live Local Act, the ordinance adjusts the framework to better fit Hialeah’s unique economic realities and community needs.
In an exclusive interview with the Floridian, City of Hialeah Councilman Jesús Tundidor discussed the ordinance, calling it “an effort to build upon what the state has already provided.”
"Live Local is a great piece of legislation that does a lot of good for other areas like Coral Gables, Doral, Brickell, but for Hialeah, I think we need to go a little more than what the state has provided, and that’s what we’re doing here today,” Councilman Tundidor expressed.
A key component of the ordinance is the establishment of an Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which is funded through a developer "payment in lieu" program. What this means is that developers who choose not to allocate 15% of their units at 60% area median income (AMI) must pay $30,000 per unit into the fund. This fund finances a rental assistance program designed to act as a short-term safety net for working families. Eligible residents, who are earning between 0% and 100% of AMI, can apply annually for up to three years of assistance, with the city covering the rent gap between what residents can afford and actual market rent.
“If [you are] at 100% AMI, and you can only afford to rent $2,000 a month, but the place that you want to live in in Hialeah, they’re charging $2,500, the city would pick up the balance, so the city would pay the additional $500 to the landlord for every month for the year,” the councilman explained.
In addition to financial tools, the ordinance includes substantial zoning reforms.
Density limits are increased from 70 to 100 units per acre in most neighborhoods, and reduced parking requirements for affordable are expected to lower development costs. These measures, along with adaptive reuse incentives and expedited permitting, are designed to accelerate the construction of mixed-income housing.
“Everyone says ‘time is money,’ and it’s true,” Councilman Tundidor said. “Expediting permits saves developers money, which can translate into more affordable units being built.”
Councilman Tundidor emphasized that while most of the units in these projects will be market rate, the ordinance ensures that a portion remain affordable for local workers.
What we’ve seen is that because of the cost of construction, the cost of property insurance, the cost of property value, the final product that is constructed becomes too expensive for those individuals that live here,” he detailed. “So the idea with this ordinance is that you’re giving those people that work here, you give them a chance to also continue to live here at an affordable rate.”
