Site Characteristics—Proximity to Transit
Applicants can win up to 3.75 tie-breaker points in the
competition for 9% low-income housing tax credits a for being located close to
facilities including public stops or Metro-rail stops, according to Florida
Housing's 2009 Universal Application.
Site Characteristics—Walkability
Applicants can win up to 3.75 tie-breaker points for
being located close to facilities including schools, grocery stores, and
pharmacies.
Project Construction—Energy-Efficient Construction
Applicants can win up to 9 points for energy efficiency
features including efficient windows, insulation, and heating and cooling
systems.
Likelihood of Success Without Sustainable Development
The competition for tax credits is so steep that
developers regularly turn in applications that qualify for the maximum number
of points; the winning applications must thus be chosen by how many
"tie-breaker" points an application earns. As a result, point
categories such as "energy efficiency" are effectively threshold
criteria, and many projects are located close to amenities to win tie-breaker
points for proximity.
Trends, Changes
Sustainable development has been important in Florida
since 2002, when Florida Housing first introduced tie-breaker points based on
location, effectively making proximity to services a deciding factor in the
competition. The green criteria did not change significantly in the 2008 or
2009 round of the tax credit competition, and state officials don't anticipate
strong changes to the green criteria for the Universal Application for the 2010
round.