Orange County officials say their decade-long Housing for All effort is finally moving from big plans to bricks and mortar. After years of task forces, maps, and meetings, the county is now pointing to thousands of affordable homes created or preserved, dozens of county-owned lots handed to nonprofits, and a sizeable trust fund meant to keep new projects coming. The pitch from county leaders: fight steep rent growth across the Orlando metro by adding everything from large apartment communities to small starter homes and backyard cottages.
In an April 6 post, Orange County Government on Facebook shared photos and a short progress report. The update called out the Ready Set Orange program, recent donations of surplus county lots to nonprofit builders, and the county’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which is helping pay for both new construction and preservation work.
Numbers behind the count
According to Orange County Government’s Housing for All page, the county reports 4,812 total affordable units created so far. Of those, 2,222 units have been funded by the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which has allocated $58 million to date. The county also lists 202 multifamily rental units preserved, 158 homeowner preservation projects, and 32 surplus lots transferred to nonprofit developers. Those figures come from the county’s interactive map and its trust fund reporting.
How projects are financed
Local coverage shows the trust fund money is being used as gap financing to get projects over the finish line and to keep existing homes affordable. For instance, Bungalower reported on a September groundbreaking for the Ivey Flats project that included a $2.1 million contribution from the county and noted that the trust fund is backing dozens of developments. County officials describe the approach as using limited public dollars to pull in private investment and unlock larger-scale housing deals.
Ready Set Orange makes ADUs simpler
The county’s Ready Set Orange initiative is aimed at homeowners who want to add smaller units but do not want to start from scratch on design work. According to Ready Set Orange, the program offers pre-designed floor plans and a step-by-step application process to speed permitting for accessory dwelling units and small starter homes. The county says its four ADU models and four small-home templates are meant to cut design costs and shorten review times for homeowners in unincorporated Orange County…