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Pines losing rentals
Condo conversions shrink supply 27%
By Joe Kollin
PEMBROKE PINES · Rental apartments, often the only type of housing many working people can afford, are becoming scarcer as more rental buildings in the city are being converted into condominiums.
In August, 1,726 of the 8,290 rental units in the city were listed as ready for conversion. By last week, that number had shot up to 2,238. That means the city is losing about 27 percent of all available rentals, based on figures supplied by its Planning Division.
While some conversions are the newer, more expensive rental complexes, others are older, smaller and less luxurious. Loss of both kinds, especially the less expensive rentals, reduces the stock of available housing for working people such as teachers, police officers and nurses, housing experts say.
"The amount of affordable work-force housing is decreasing and the need is increasing as rentals are converted to condos," said Sharon L. Emelock, the city's associate planner.
Although developers frequently offer to sell units to renters, tenants often can't come up with the cash for down payments, she said.
Examples of rentals scheduled for conversion are the 250-unit Green Key apartments in the 9600 block of Northwest First Court, which will become La Via Condominium; 152-unit Country Club Place Apartments in the 400 block of Southwest 114th Avenue, scheduled to become the Fairway Greens; and 26-unit Kings Court Apartment, 2040 Douglas Road, which is to become the Villa Garcez.
The estimated number of conversions may be low. The only way the city learns of them is when the converters request a permit to erect a new sign or change an existing sign. If they don't want a sign permit, they need not notify City Hall.
Property owners wanting to convert are required, however, to register their condominium offerings with the state Department of Business & Professional Regulation, which doesn't keep figures by city.
Pembroke Pines Vice Mayor Angelo C Sun Sentinel - October 9, 2005
Click Here to view original article
Pines losing rentals
Condo conversions shrink supply 27%
By Joe Kollin
PEMBROKE PINES · Rental apartments, often the only type of housing many working people can afford, are becoming scarcer as more rental buildings in the city are being converted into condominiums.
In August, 1,726 of the 8,290 rental units in the city were listed as ready for conversion. By last week, that number had shot up to 2,238. That means the city is losing about 27 percent of all available rentals, based on figures supplied by its Planning Division.
Vista Healthplan
While some conversions are the newer, more expensive rental complexes, others are older, smaller and less luxurious. Loss of both kinds, especially the less expensive rentals, reduces the stock of available housing for working people such as teachers, police officers and nurses, housing experts say.
"The amount of affordable work-force housing is decreasing and the need is increasing as rentals are converted to condos," said Sharon L. Emelock, the city's associate planner.
Although developers frequently offer to sell units to renters, tenants often can't come up with the cash for down payments, she said.
Examples of rentals scheduled for conversion are the 250-unit Green Key apartments in the 9600 block of Northwest First Court, which will become La Via Condominium; 152-unit Country Club Place Apartments in the 400 block of Southwest 114th Avenue, scheduled to become the Fairway Greens; and 26-unit Kings Court Apartment, 2040 Douglas Road, which is to become the Villa Garcez.
The estimated number of conversions may be low. The only way the city learns of them is when the converters request a permit to erect a new sign or change an existing sign. If they don't want a sign permit, they need not notify City Hall.
Property owners wanting to convert are required, however, to register their condominium offerings with the state Department of Business & Professional Regulation, which doesn't keep figures by city.
Pembroke Pines Vice Mayor Angelo Castillo said a way must be found for workers to live in the city.
"We'll have to find a way to do something and do it quickly," said Castillo, who is vice chairman of the Broward County Planning Council's housing subcommittee, which is advising the County Commission on the problem of housing for workers.
In addition to four "talented" teachers lost to the city's charter school system recently because they couldn't afford to live in the area, Castillo said that within the past few days he heard from two renters, both longtime residents, who are moving because their buildings are being converted.
"There is a clear imbalance when a city can't offer housing options that are affordable to those who form the backbone of the city, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, waiters and others essential to the well-being of a city," he said.
The private company that administers the city's housing assistance program, Community Redevelopment Associates, also is looking for a way to resolve the problem because its hands are tied when it comes to helping renters become buyers. The firm uses federal money channeled through the state and county to help those with low and moderate incomes buy homes.
"We've got a purchase assistance program, but based on the way housing costs are going up and up, it's a moot point if we can't help the people we're supposed to help," said Martin R. Larsen, the firm's president.
The problem is the federal government's refusal to raise the income levels to qualify for assistance, he said.
"The income levels we deal with are prescribed by the federal government, but in three years they haven't been adjusted upward. Yet housing prices are rising dramatically in comparison to income," he said.
His firm expects to advise city commissioners in the next several months about what can be done.
"The dream of home ownership is becoming a very distant dream, but the city has always been committed to home ownership so we're looking at what changes can be made for it to continue," he added.
The lack of rentals is a strange situation for Pembroke Pines. Twice during the past 20 years, city leaders tried blocking construction of rentals for fear too many were being built. In 1990, the city imposed a moratorium on development of rentals that lasted two years. In 1996, when the number of rentals again was about to grow, city officials sought to block construction but couldn't because the property owners had a legal right to build them.
To accommodate the need for housing for working people, the city is asking Broward County for permission to build an extra 250 condo apartments at the City Center on Pines Boulevard. The center's design originally included 750 units, but city commissioners want another 250 so they can be sold as "work force" housing in the $230,000 to $250,000 price range.
Joe Kollin can be reached at jkollin@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7913.
astillo said a way must be found for workers to live in the city.
"We'll have to find a way to do something and do it quickly," said Castillo, who is vice chairman of the Broward County Planning Council's housing subcommittee, which is advising the County Commission on the problem of housing for workers.
In addition to four "talented" teachers lost to the city's charter school system recently because they couldn't afford to live in the area, Castillo said that within the past few days he heard from two renters, both longtime residents, who are moving because their buildings are being converted.
"There is a clear imbalance when a city can't offer housing options that are affordable to those who form the backbone of the city, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, waiters and others essential to the well-being of a city," he said.
The private company that administers the city's housing assistance program, Community Redevelopment Associates, also is looking for a way to resolve the problem because its hands are tied when it comes to helping renters become buyers. The firm uses federal money channeled through the state and county to help those with low and moderate incomes buy homes.
"We've got a purchase assistance program, but based on the way housing costs are going up and up, it's a moot point if we can't help the people we're supposed to help," said Martin R. Larsen, the firm's president.
The problem is the federal government's refusal to raise the income levels to qualify for assistance, he said.
"The income levels we deal with are prescribed by the federal government, but in three years they haven't been adjusted upward. Yet housing prices are rising dramatically in comparison to income," he said.
His firm expects to advise city commissioners in the next several months about what can be done.
"The dream of home ownership is becoming a very distant dream, but the city has always been committed to home ownership so we're looking at what changes can be made for it to continue," he added.
The lack of rentals is a strange situation for Pembroke Pines. Twice during the past 20 years, city leaders tried blocking construction of rentals for fear too many were being built. In 1990, the city imposed a moratorium on development of rentals that lasted two years. In 1996, when the number of rentals again was about to grow, city officials sought to block construction but couldn't because the property owners had a legal right to build them.
To accommodate the need for housing for working people, the city is asking Broward County for permission to build an extra 250 condo apartments at the City Center on Pines Boulevard. The center's design originally included 750 units, but city commissioners want another 250 so they can be sold as "work force" housing in the $230,000 to $250,000 price range.
Joe Kollin can be reached at jkollin@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7913.
While some conversions are the newer, more expensive rental complexes, others are older, smaller and less luxurious. Loss of both kinds, especially the less expensive rentals, reduces the stock of available housing for working people such as teachers, police officers and nurses, housing experts say.
"The amount of affordable work-force housing is decreasing and the need is increasing as rentals are converted to condos," said Sharon L. Emelock, the city's associate planner.
Although developers frequently offer to sell units to renters, tenants often can't come up with the cash for down payments, she said.
Examples of rentals scheduled for conversion are the 250-unit Green Key apartments in the 9600 block of Northwest First Court, which will become La Via Condominium; 152-unit Country Club Place Apartments in the 400 block of Southwest 114th Avenue, scheduled to become the Fairway Greens; and 26-unit Kings Court Apartment, 2040 Douglas Road, which is to become the Villa Garcez.
The estimated number of conversions may be low. The only way the city learns of them is when the converters request a permit to erect a new sign or change an existing sign. If they don't want a sign permit, they need not notify City Hall.
Property owners wanting to convert are required, however, to register their condominium offerings with the state Department of Business & Professional Regulation, which doesn't keep figures by city.
Pembroke Pines Vice Mayor Angelo Castillo said a way must be found for workers to live in the city.
"We'll have to find a way to do something and do it quickly," said Castillo, who is vice chairman of the Broward County Planning Council's housing subcommittee, which is advising the County Commission on the problem of housing for workers.
In addition to four "talented" teachers lost to the city's charter school system recently because they couldn't afford to live in the area, Castillo said that within the past few days he heard from two renters, both longtime residents, who are moving because their buildings are being converted.
"There is a clear imbalance when a city can't offer housing options that are affordable to those who form the backbone of the city, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, waiters and others essential to the well-being of a city," he said.
The private company that administers the city's housing assistance program, Community Redevelopment Associates, also is looking for a way to resolve the problem because its hands are tied when it comes to helping renters become buyers. The firm uses federal money channeled through the state and county to help those with low and moderate incomes buy homes.
"We've got a purchase assistance program, but based on the way housing costs are going up and up, it's a moot point if we can't help the people we're supposed to help," said Martin R. Larsen, the firm's president.
The problem is the federal government's refusal to raise the income levels to qualify for assistance, he said.
"The income levels we deal with are prescribed by the federal government, but in three years they haven't been adjusted upward. Yet housing prices are rising dramatically in comparison to income," he said.
His firm expects to advise city commissioners in the next several months about what can be done.
"The dream of home ownership is becoming a very distant dream, but the city has always been committed to home ownership so we're looking at what changes can be made for it to continue," he added.
The lack of rentals is a strange situation for Pembroke Pines. Twice during the past 20 years, city leaders tried blocking construction of rentals for fear too many were being built. In 1990, the city imposed a moratorium on development of rentals that lasted two years. In 1996, when the number of rentals again was about to grow, city officials sought to block construction but couldn't because the property owners had a legal right to build them.
To accommodate the need for housing for working people, the city is asking Broward County for permission to build an extra 250 condo apartments at the City Center on Pines Boulevard. The center's design originally included 750 units, but city commissioners want another 250 so they can be sold as "work force" housing in the $230,000 to $250,000 price range.
Joe Kollin can be reached at jkollin@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7913.