Jacksonville has become one of America's great growth stories. New employers continue to invest here, families are relocating from across the country and our economy continues to diversify in new ways. We should be proud of that progress.
However, sustained growth also brings a responsibility to ask an equally important question: Can the people who make Jacksonville work still afford to live here?
That question has become one of the defining challenges facing our city. Nurses, teachers, first responders and countless other members of our workforce are essential to Jacksonville's continued success. Yet many are finding it increasingly difficult to live in the communities they serve.
This is no longer simply a housing issue, but an economic development
issue that will influence our region's competitiveness.
The numbers underscore both our progress and the work that remains. Jacksonville currently has nearly 6,000 workforce and below-market-rate housing units completed, under construction or in the pipeline. That represents a meaningful commitment from the public and private sectors.
Yet according to the University of Florida's Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, our region still faces a shortage of nearly 9,000 rental units affordable to households earning up to 80% of the area median income. As our economy grows, that gap will widen unless we create more housing for working families.
That's why our commitment remains focused on the workforce earning 80% to 120% of area median income.
Too often, conversations about housing become focused on politics, zoning disputes or individual development projects, when the broader issue is far simpler. Every thriving city requires housing options for residents across a range of incomes.
Workforce housing serves what many have come to call the "missing middle" — working professionals who earn too much for housing assistance but not enough to keep pace with today's rising costs.
When these members of our workforce are forced to live farther from their jobs, the consequences extend well beyond housing. Employers struggle to recruit and retain talent. Commutes become longer, straining our transportation network and reducing quality of life.
Schools, hospitals and local businesses all compete for the same limited workforce, while our neighborhoods lose the diversity and stability that make communities strong.
Every major economic development announcement our city celebrates should therefore prompt another question: Where will the people filling those new jobs live? Economic development and housing policy can no longer be viewed as separate conversations. A city cannot recruit new employers without ensuring that the workforce has access to attainable housing.
Housing is an essential component of economic infrastructure, as important as transportation, utilities and public safety.
Florida has created valuable tools to encourage workforce housing, but lasting success will not come from state legislation alone. The most effective solutions will be developed locally through partnerships between municipal leaders, responsible developers, employers, financial institutions and neighborhood stakeholders.
Every community has unique needs, and Jacksonville has an opportunity to show how collaboration produces real growth.
Our city is well-positioned to lead this conversation. We have redevelopment corridors ready for investment, expanding employment centers and a business community committed to Jacksonville's long-term success. Rather than viewing workforce housing as a challenge to overcome, we should recognize it as an investment in our region's future.
Every teacher who can afford to live near the school where they teach and every health care worker who lives close to the hospital where they serve strengthens our community in ways that extend far beyond a single apartment or neighborhood.
At Corner Lot, we believe successful development is measured not simply by the buildings we construct, but by the communities we help create. Our responsibility extends beyond delivering quality projects; it includes ensuring that Jacksonville remains a place where opportunity is accessible to the people who power our economy every day.
The strength of a city is not measured solely by the height of its skyline or the number of cranes on the horizon. It is measured by whether the people who teach our children, care for our families, protect our neighborhoods and build our future can afford to call that city home.
If Jacksonville continues to approach workforce housing with the same collaborative spirit that has fueled its growth, we will not simply address a housing challenge — we will strengthen our economy, neighborhoods and quality of life for generations to come.
William "Billy" Zeits, executive vice president, Corner Lot Development Group, Jacksonville
This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's future depends on housing the workforce | Opinion
