Planning Division

Apartment Projects in Longwood Under the ‘Live Local Act’

As many of you know, the State of Florida passed Senate Bill 102, the “Live Local Act” during this legislative session, which is part of the Legislature’s effort to address Florida’s affordable housing crisis. One of the components of this legislation is that multi-family apartment projects which commit to dedicating at least 40% as affordable housing for 30 years must be considered an allowable use when located on properties zoned commercial, industrial, or mixed-use, even if multi-family development is prohibited by the Longwood Development Code (LDC) in that category. 

It is no secret that there has been a high demand for apartments within the City of Longwood in recent years. While the City Commission recently designated large sections of the City’s corridors as commercial to help promote the development of retail and restaurants, the passage of the Live Local Act means that the Commission will be prevented from considering or deciding upon projects developed under this act - likely resulting in new high-density, multi-story, multi-family projects being developed in areas that are prohibited by the LDC.

You can view the text of Senate Bill 102 here.

The City will remain committed to the attraction and retention of retail and restaurants, and work through every available avenue to be able to deliver those projects to our residents.