ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County commissioners met Tuesday to discuss what they said is an affordable housing crisis.

Before the Coronavirus pandemic, the average apartment in Orange County was just under 1000 square feet and cost about $1400 a month. To close 2022, the average unit size remained the same, but the cost was up about $400. To start 2023 the county is now trying to come up with an increase in housing strategies.

When it comes to housing in Orange County both homes and apartments have a hand in impacting the cost of the other.

“The majority of product that's going to be out there is in the hands of others,” County Administrator Byron Books said. “So how can we help the development community produce products?”

With rising costs of both materials and construction, housing production has been down.

Due to that, the more people who move to Orange County, which is an estimated 5% increase a year in population, is driving the costs of rental units. If potential buyers can’t buy a home then they are snagging up apartments.

The county is working to identify places like run-down shopping centers or vacant lots that could be redeveloped for housing.

Even that can have consequences according to Commissioner Christine Moore.

“I think we have to be mindful of the traffic consequences of where all these things are,” Moore began to say Tuesday. “That’s pretty much what the folks are complaining about.”

Even with the rising rent costs, apartments in the county are currently at a 92% occupancy rate. The county did suggest ideas to help with the crisis through county-led projects with nonprofit organizations and developers, but one commissioner feels that approach has not worked in the past.

“The reason why that plan hasn’t worked is because of pure greed by corporations,” District 5’s Emily Bonilla says. “Instead of building them and renting them at affordable or attainable rates they just price them at higher levels.”

Other ideas include; opportunities to reduce project time and lower costs, engage community stakeholders, and get plans to the public quicker.

At the meeting, District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe said he believes part of the approval and processes the county adopted just a few years ago are now contributing to the current problems.

“I am looking at what are the battles going on with development period,” Commissioner Uribe explained. “While I appreciate this innovative way of housing, we really have to internalize what is going on with our procedures overall.”

Next will be for the county to decide if and how they want to proceed with new proposals that could be proposed amendments to be voted on later this year.

County commissioners also say the environmental impact is something they want to take a closer look at before any developments, especially after the devastating flooding experienced during Hurricane Ian.

According to the county’s research, by the year 2030 with the annual anticipated growth in the county, they will need to come up with about 86,000 new units to meet the demand.