Board approves $20M in CDBG‑DR funds for 5300 Summerlin affordable housing project

Lee County commissioners voted Feb. 17 to provide $20,000,000 in Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) funds to the 5300 Summerlin Road affordable housing development. County staff said the funding will support a 30‑year affordability period and that the total project cost is approximately $93,600,000; the project is expected to deliver 230 affordable units.

Nicole Turner presented the request, explaining that the funding structure is similar to previous county affordable housing loans where repayment is expected to come from project rents over time. Commissioners asked staff to confirm repayment mechanisms; staff said the loan will be repaid through rents, consistent with prior arrangements. The board opened the item to public comment: Julie Trusack of Naples asked how the county will help residents who face rent increases and expressed concern about people being displaced from existing affordable projects. The chair responded that staff could meet with the commenter after the meeting and provide information on assistance options.

Following the presentation and public comment, a motion to approve the $20,000,000 in CDBG‑DR funding passed with no objection. Staff said they will bring any implementation details and required loan documents back to future board meetings and that the funding requires federal HUD approval after local action and required public comment periods (in earlier related items staff had described required 30‑day comment periods for action‑plan amendments).

The record shows the board approved the funding on Feb. 17 and that staff will proceed with next steps, including any required federal submissions and reporting to HUD.