Protecting Historically Black Neighborhoods During Development
Gainesville, FL
Population: 100,000 - 500,000 | Government type: City | Topic: Building Moratoriums
NW 5th Avenue, also known as Seminary Lane, is now slated to have student housing built on property there by developers after community-supported attempt to enact a building moratorium were unsuccessful. (Photo: Erica Brough/Gainesville Sun)
The POLICY
In October 2020, Commissioner Gail Johnson proposed that the Gainesville City Commission should enact a moratorium for 6-12 months on major development in historic and historically Black neighborhoods. The catalyst for the moratorium was a luxury student housing development with nearly 1000 beds that would dramatically change the character of the historic Black neighborhood where it was to be located. In response, a group of neighbors has come together to sue the city in order to stop the development.
The growth of the University of Florida and stated goals of UF have increased pressure to develop nearby university neighborhoods, many of them historically Black neighborhoods, which is leading to loss of affordable housing, steadily rising rents, and community displacement. This moratorium was proposed to slow the pace of gentrification and “studentification” — the process by which specific neighborhoods become dominated by student residential occupation.
The goals of the moratorium were to provide the city with the opportunity to curb displacement, and to develop equitable policies, programs, and processes to guide development and growth in some of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods while minimizing displacement. It would also allow the city to design a thorough community engagement process to identify and incorporate the perspectives of community members into the affordable housing strategic plan and forthcoming update to the comprehensive plan.
Two years ago, Gainesville learned about a moratorium in a similar community, Chapel Hill, which was enacted through the efforts of Marian Cheek Jackson Center. With the Black Lives Matter movement back in the spotlight, it was the perfect time to show in action and through policy that Black Neighborhoods Matter in Gainesville. Unfortunately, the moratorium was ultimately voted down at the end of 2020.
Collaborative Governance
Community advocacy efforts included neighborhood meetings, petitions, marches, and rallies. This energy transferred to the moratorium on major development, where it sustained city-wide support from people from all walks of life.
Emphasis on equity
Gentrification and studentification are detrimental to communities, and especially to lower-income people of color. In addition to increased likelihood of displacement, these communities often experience stress, depression, and downward mobility as a result of unfair housing policies. The focus of the moratorium in historic Black communities centers the communities and voices most at risk of erasure.
The power of a moratorium is that it provides the time and space needed to implement equitable development policies that ensure that everyone participates in, and benefits from, new buildings, homes, businesses, and economic growth—especially low-income residents, communities of color, immigrants, and others most at risk of being left behind. The proposed moratorium requires an intentional focus on eliminating racial inequities and barriers, and on making accountable and catalytic investments to assure that lower-income residents live in healthy, safe, and opportunity-rich neighborhoods that reflect their culture.
Other policy solutions grounded that the Council might have considered during the moratorium timeframe include a property tax circuit breaker; community education about predatory practices and speculation; legal assistance for renters at risk of displacement; zoning revisions; assistance with heirs properties; and funding for community members to buy, build, or renovate homes in the neighborhoods they grew up in. These solutions are intended to shift power by focusing on the city’s most marginalized residents.
Analysis
Preemption: While the state of Florida does preempt localities across a number of areas, zoning and development measures are usually the purview of local jurisdictions although a court challenge is always possible.
Local government dynamics: The council as a body is relatively moderate.
Policy strength: If this policy passed, it would have provided a brief respite from a rapid pace of development in historically Black neighborhoods. It is not a guarantee that this would have prevented gentrification long-term but comprehensive plans have a significant impact on land use and zoning decisions.
OTHER POLICY EXAMPLES
In early 2020, the Clemson City Council passed a six-month moratorium on large-scale housing developments resulting primarily from increased student enrollment at Clemson University or “studentification”. It did not prevent three major projects with determined “vested rights'' in the city from proceeding, along with other senior and affordable housing projects. The pause was intended to allow an appointed steering committee the time to produce a vision for the downtown and a guide for future development.
Last updated: January 19, 2021
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