By Michael W. Freeman
Orlando Sentinel
As the regional economy gets stronger and the real estate market heats up as well, Mayor Steve Leary is hoping to create ways to make it easier for Winter Park’s municipal workers to be able to afford to live in the city.
“That’s the goal,” Leary said. “It would be nice to see Winter Park police vehicles in driveways at night. You’d have a police officer next door. That’s about getting to know the people who care for you. Then if something happens, you know your neighbor is a police officer or a firefighter. You start to develop a rapport with them. That builds a community. It’s not just, you work here, then you leave at night.”
The City Commission voted to move forward on a proposed ordinance to expand the city’s Affordable Housing program to include workforce housing.
That concept usually refers to city employees – police officers, firefighters, school teachers, and those in the various departments at City Hall – who have a difficult time finding a home they can afford to rent or buy.
It’s a growing challenge for a number of cities and towns in the region as the economy gets stronger, the unemployment rate falls, and the real estate market improves.
The commission has asked city staff to research ways that the Affordable Housing program can assist city workers who want to live in Winter Park but don’t think they can afford to.
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