The Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Housing has selected the state of Florida’s Live Local Act as the winner of the 2024 ULI Robert C. Larson Housing Policy Leadership Award.
The award was created in 2011 to honor the legacy of the late Robert C. Larson, a former ULI Foundation chairman and longtime ULI trustee. The Larson Award is part of the Terwilliger Center’s housing awards program and recognizes exemplary state and local programs and policies that support the production, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable and workforce housing.
Florida’s Live Local Act, made effective in July 2023, represents the largest investment in housing in the state’s history. Created to incentivize the production of affordable housing, the Live Local Act streamlines approval processes for developers by mandating that local governments approve multifamily and mixed-use residential developments in commercial, industrial, and mixed-use zones as long as 40 percent of the units are designated affordable. The act also incentivizes production by pre-empting local zoning laws, thus providing a dedicated source of funding, as well as state and local tax incentives for developers to construct affordable housing.
“Our state legislators created the smartest law in our Live Local Legislation. It provides for more housing being offered to the public . . . inclusive of workforce housing, which is so desperately needed. It also provides for affordability and eases traffic as it places workforce housing at affordable pricing—exactly where it needs to be to avoid more cars on the road,” said Russell Galbut, managing principal at Crescent Heights. “And where it really gets smart is by requiring administrative approvals rather than the multiple and duplicative boards created by municipalities that don’t want any construction in their communities.
“Florida has become a magnet for families searching for affordable housing; yet the increased number of residents has raised housing costs, and new housing supply is needed so that Florida does not become another high-cost market” said Ron Terwilliger, founder of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing. “I applaud what the state of Florida has accomplished, with bipartisan support, to incentivize the production of housing. On behalf of the Terwilliger Center, I’d like to congratulate the Live Local Act, which can serve as model for other states to increase their role in providing solutions to local housing challenges.”
For the first time, the Larson award was decided at the 2024 ULI/Charles H. Shaw Forum on Urban Community Issues, held virtually by the Terwilliger Center for Housing on May 9, 2024. The Forum was titled “State and Local Policy Innovations to Expand Housing Production,” and the findings from the Forum were compiled into a report, Building the Future: Innovations in State and Local Policies to Boost Housing Supply, which can be found on Knowledge Finder.
The Forum was chaired by Doug Abbey, cofounder of IHP Capital Partners and former Chair of the ULI Foundation. The Live Local Act was presented by Anthony De Yurre, partner, Bilzin Sumberg.
Other speakers were:
- Mark Egge, member, Montana Governor’s Housing Task Force, Bozeman, Montana
- Bryan Esenberg, director, NHS Redevelopment Corporation, Chicago, Illinois
- Anthony Fusarelli, planning director, Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington, Virginia
- Nicki Olivier Hellenkamp, mayor’s housing advisor, city of Boise, Idaho, Boise, Idaho
- Sarah Karlinsky, research director, Terner Center, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California
- Chrystal Kornegay, chief executive officer, MassHousing, Boston, Massachusetts
- Dara Kovel, president, Beacon Communities Development LLC, Boston, Massachusetts
- Linda Mandolini, president, Eden Housing, Oakland, California
- Matthew Murphy, executive director, Furman Center, New York University, New York, New York
- Breanne Rothstein, founder and chief executive officer, Thrive Consulting, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Dr. Jenny Schuetz, senior fellow, Brookings Metro, Washington, D.C.
- Michael Wilt, senior manager, external relations, Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation, Austin, Texas
For questions about the housing awards program, email [email protected].
