Commentary: Housing plan crucial to sustain Collier County workforce

At the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, we regularly hear from employers who say housing is often a barrier to recruiting and retaining talent.

Private employers have told us that between 25 percent and 50 percent of their employees live out of the county, where the cost of housing is less expensive. While other factors come into play when making this determination, it is hard to dispute that the rental or purchase price of a residence in Collier County can be steep, leading to a low inventory of affordable housing.

But private-sector employers aren’t the only ones who have conveyed stories of long commute times, rejected employment offers because of housing sticker shock, and concerns over brain drain because there are few housing options for those interested in making Collier their home. We’ve heard from Collier County Sheriff’s Office and Collier County Public Schools officials who also say at least 25 percent of their employees live out of the county, and they are facing the same retention and recruitment concerns.

Addressing our county’s workforce housing challenge has long been a top priority for our chamber. We commend the Collier County Housing Stakeholders Committee, the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and county commissioners for their work on this issue, and believe it shows a willingness to act on a plan to make Collier County more accessible to those whose skills and services are vitally needed.

The Collier County Community Housing Plan is a step toward achieving that goal. The plan recommends necessary actions to reduce regulations and increase density, and offers options to fund workforce housing initiatives.

As other resort communities in the U.S. have demonstrated, it’s possible to create a scenario where developers can build quality housing that is safe and affordable for a multitude of citizens. By including recommendations that expedite the permitting and approval process, allow cost-saving infrastructure options and fine-tune the impact fee program, Collier commissioners are poised to approve a plan that encourages the development of rental and single-family housing that is cost-attainable.

We understand there is a cost associated with creating and expanding workforce housing, but we stand united with our partners at Collier Building Industry Association who proposed in-lieu-of fees are not feasible. While we understand the idea is to make them high so that developers will include a certain percentage of affordable housing units in their developments, that’s just not likely in Collier County.

We also believe, like our friends at the Naples Area Board of Realtors, that workforce housing efforts shouldn’t be funded solely through property-based fees. We strongly urge commissioners to look at how comparable communities have structured these fees and work to create a fee schedule that is reasonable, but not onerous.

Collier County needs to consider the philosophical question of whether workforce housing should be a broad public responsibility. We contend creating housing options that are safe and affordable for a variety of our citizens – from young professionals to our seniors – should be a public responsibility. The county should look for ways to diversify the funding stream, beyond fees and property taxes. As a community, we should support a dedicated, sustainable funding source that would help alleviate the housing backlog. 

As Collier County’s voice of business, we believe addressing housing affordability is key to continued economic health and quality of life. It is difficult to gauge how much talent we have lost because housing has been deemed unattainable, or how many workers will get fed up with the commute and find jobs elsewhere.

By tackling the affordability issue now, county leaders have indicated they have the political will to ensure Collier County remains an attractive place to live, work and visit.

We encourage the commission to adopt the proposal with some modifications to the revenue stream. While it could be a year or more before new affordable housing for rent or purchase is developed, its adoption communicates a long-term commitment to chip away at our housing needs and place Collier County on the right track. 

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