Turning Public Housing Priorities Into Deliverable Projects
Latitude 98 works with municipalities, counties, housing authorities, nonprofit organisations, landowners, lenders, employers, and community partners to evaluate and develop public-private housing opportunities throughout Orlando and Central Florida.
Public agencies often control land, funding programs, housing incentives, infrastructure resources, or policy tools. Private development partners bring real estate execution, construction coordination, financing experience, project management, and market knowledge.
When these capabilities are aligned, public-private partnerships can help create housing that may be difficult to deliver through conventional development alone.
A Collaborative Approach to Housing Development
Public-private housing partnerships bring together organisations with different responsibilities around a shared housing objective.
A partnership may include:
- A municipality or county
- A public housing authority
- A nonprofit housing organization
- A private developer
- A landowner
- A lender or financial institution
- A tax-credit investor
- A public-funding agency
- A property manager
- A qualified supportive-service provider
- An employer or workforce organization
- A community or neighborhood group
Each organisation contributes a specific capability, resource, or responsibility to the project.
Latitude 98’s role is generally focused on the real estate and development process, including feasibility, acquisition, planning, financing coordination, entitlement, permitting, construction, rehabilitation, and delivery.
Housing Partnership Opportunities
Latitude 98 evaluates public-private partnerships involving:
- Affordable rental housing
- Affordable homeownership
- Workforce and attainable housing
- Mixed-income communities
- Veteran housing
- Senior housing
- Accessible housing
- Permanent supportive housing
- Transitional housing with qualified service providers
- Scattered-site housing
- Small multifamily development
- Neighborhood infill
- Rehabilitation and preservation
- Adaptive reuse
- Public land redevelopment
- Employer-supported housing
The appropriate model depends on the property, local housing need, available resources, resident population, zoning, financing, and long-term operating strategy.
Publicly Owned and Surplus Land
Land is often one of the greatest barriers to housing affordability.
Municipalities, counties, housing authorities, school systems, public agencies, and other institutions may control vacant or underused properties that could support housing development.
Potential opportunities may include:
- Surplus government land
- Vacant residential lots
- Tax-foreclosed properties
- Former public facilities
- Underused parking areas
- Obsolete municipal buildings
- Publicly controlled infill parcels
- Land near transportation
- Sites near major employers
- Properties within redevelopment districts
- Housing-authority land
- Public land suitable for mixed-use development
Latitude 98 can help evaluate whether a site is physically, financially, and legally suitable for development.
A public land transaction may be structured through a sale, long-term ground lease, development agreement, request for proposals, joint venture, land contribution, or other approved public process.
Municipal and County Partnerships
Local governments may help facilitate housing through land-use authority, infrastructure, incentives, funding, and community planning.
Latitude 98 welcomes opportunities involving:
- Affordable housing initiatives
- Workforce housing programs
- Neighborhood revitalization
- Infill development
- Public land dispositions
- Mixed-income communities
- Housing near transit or employment
- Storm recovery and replacement housing
- Rehabilitation programs
- Community redevelopment areas
- Expedited permitting
- Density incentives
- Impact-fee assistance
- Infrastructure participation
- Local housing trust funds
- Development agreements
Every partnership must follow the applicable public procurement, approval, affordability, reporting, and transparency requirements.
Housing Authority Partnerships
Housing authorities can be important partners in the creation, preservation, and operation of affordable housing.
Potential partnership opportunities may include:
- New rental housing
- Public housing redevelopment
- Mixed-finance communities
- Project-based rental assistance
- Scattered-site housing
- Veteran housing
- Senior housing
- Accessible units
- Property rehabilitation
- Housing replacement
- Land redevelopment
- Long-term ownership partnerships
Latitude 98 may assist with property evaluation, development planning, financing coordination, design, entitlement, permitting, construction, and rehabilitation.
The housing authority may retain responsibility for resident eligibility, rental assistance, program administration, compliance, ownership, or long-term operations depending on the project structure.
Nonprofit Development Partnerships
Nonprofit organisations may have strong community relationships, program knowledge, land, funding access, or service capabilities but need an experienced development partner to advance a project.
Latitude 98 may support nonprofit partners with:
- Site evaluation
- Acquisition planning
- Feasibility studies
- Conceptual development plans
- Project budgeting
- Financing coordination
- Public funding applications
- Architecture and engineering management
- Entitlements
- Permitting
- Construction oversight
- Property rehabilitation
- Long-term facility planning
The nonprofit may own the property, operate the housing, provide resident services, participate in a joint venture, or retain a long-term leasehold interest.
Where healthcare, case management, counselling, or supportive services are required, those services must be delivered by qualified organisations. Latitude 98 does not represent itself as a healthcare or social-service provider.
Private Development Responsibilities
The private development partner may be responsible for converting the project concept into an executable plan.
Latitude 98’s potential responsibilities include:
- Identifying development opportunities
- Evaluating land and buildings
- Reviewing zoning and future land use
- Assessing utility and infrastructure availability
- Coordinating environmental and site studies
- Preparing preliminary budgets
- Establishing development timelines
- Structuring acquisitions
- Coordinating debt and equity
- Managing design and engineering
- Securing entitlements and permits
- Overseeing construction
- Managing rehabilitation
- Coordinating final inspections and occupancy
- Establishing the disposition or ownership plan
The exact scope is defined for each partnership.
Potential Public Contributions
Public participation can take many forms and does not always require a direct grant.
Depending on the project and applicable program, public resources may include:
- Land contributions
- Discounted land sales
- Long-term ground leases
- Infrastructure improvements
- Utility extensions
- Fee reductions
- Impact-fee assistance
- Expedited reviews
- Density incentives
- Zoning support
- Housing trust funds
- Subordinate loans
- Grants
- Tax-exempt bonds
- Rental assistance
- Project-based vouchers
- Tax abatements
- Public parking or shared infrastructure
- Community redevelopment funding
The availability and eligibility of these resources are determined by the administering agency and applicable program requirements.
Latitude 98 does not assume that public assistance will be available. Each resource must be verified and approved as part of the development process.
Private Financing and Investment
Private capital remains essential to many public-private housing developments.
Potential financing participants may include:
- Banks
- Community lenders
- Community development financial institutions
- Institutional lenders
- Private investors
- Impact investors
- Tax-credit investors
- Affordable housing funds
- Family offices
- Philanthropic organizations
- Mission-oriented lenders
- Employer partners
Potential capital sources may include:
- Construction loans
- Permanent financing
- Private equity
- Tax-credit equity
- Tax-exempt bond financing
- Subordinate debt
- Deferred developer compensation
- Public loans
- Grants
- Land value
- Philanthropic capital
- Employer contributions
A successful capital structure must support construction while also producing sustainable long-term operations.
Mixed-Income Public-Private Development
Mixed-income communities may combine market-rate, workforce, and income-restricted housing within one development.
This approach may help:
- Improve project feasibility
- Expand housing options
- Support economic diversity
- Reduce concentrated poverty
- Integrate affordable homes into growing neighbourhoods
- Cross-subsidise lower-cost units
- Attract a broader range of financing
- Create more resilient communities
The unit mix, affordability levels, restrictions, and ownership structure must be established with the public agency, funding partners, lenders, and development team.
Public-Private Homeownership Programs
Public-private partnerships can also support attainable and affordable homeownership.
Potential models may include:
- New infill homes
- First-time buyer communities
- Scattered-site homeownership
- Townhomes
- Cottage communities
- Veterans’ homeownership
- Workforce housing
- Homes built on publicly contributed land
- Community land trust partnerships
- Down-payment assistance programs
Public participation may help reduce land, infrastructure, financing, or buyer acquisition costs.
Any affordability controls, resale restrictions, income qualifications, or owner-occupancy requirements must be clearly disclosed and administered by the appropriate partner.
Rehabilitation and Housing Preservation
Public-private partnerships can preserve existing housing that might otherwise be lost to deterioration, vacancy, or market conversion.
Latitude 98 evaluates projects involving:
- Aging apartment communities
- Distressed rental housing
- Vacant single-family homes
- Code-enforcement properties
- Storm-damaged homes
- Former hotels or motels
- Underused institutional buildings
- Properties requiring accessibility improvements
- Affordable housing at risk of losing restrictions
- Incomplete developments
Rehabilitation may include:
- Structural repairs
- Roofing
- Plumbing and electrical systems
- Heating and cooling
- Fire and life-safety improvements
- Accessibility upgrades
- Energy improvements
- Interior reconstruction
- Drainage and site improvements
- Exterior renovations
- Community spaces
Preserving an existing property may be more practical and less disruptive than replacing it with new construction.
Community and Neighbourhood Participation
Public-private housing development should reflect local needs and conditions.
Depending on the project, community engagement may include:
- Neighborhood meetings
- Stakeholder interviews
- Resident input
- Public hearings
- Design workshops
- Coordination with local organizations
- Traffic and access planning
- Discussion of density and scale
- Review of public amenities
- Construction-impact planning
Community input does not replace technical, financial, or regulatory requirements, but it can help identify concerns, improve design, and strengthen long-term acceptance.
Clear Roles and Accountability
Successful partnerships require clearly defined responsibilities.
Before a project moves forward, the partners should establish:
- Who controls or contributes the land
- Who serves as developer
- Who secures financing
- Who guarantees the financing
- Who owns the completed property
- Who oversees construction
- Who manages the property
- Who selects or qualifies residents
- Who administers subsidies or vouchers
- Who provides supportive services
- Who handles compliance and reporting
- Who funds replacement reserves
- Who is responsible for long-term maintenance
- How decisions and disputes will be managed
These responsibilities should be reflected in formal agreements before substantial costs are incurred.
Our Partnership Development Process
1. Define the Public Purpose
The partners identify the housing need, intended residents, project type, affordability goals, and desired long-term outcomes.
2. Evaluate the Property
Latitude 98 reviews zoning, density, utilities, access, environmental conditions, flood exposure, infrastructure, and construction feasibility.
3. Establish Partner Roles
The project team defines the responsibilities of the public agency, developer, landowner, lender, investor, nonprofit, property manager, and service provider.
4. Complete Financial Feasibility
We evaluate land value, construction costs, public resources, private financing, operating expenses, rental or sales revenue, and long-term affordability requirements.
5. Structure the Partnership
The parties determine the ownership, ground lease, development agreement, joint venture, financing, procurement, and operating structure.
6. Complete Approvals
Latitude 98 coordinates planning, design, engineering, entitlements, permitting, public reviews, and agency submissions.
7. Construct or Rehabilitate the Housing
Construction is overseen with attention to quality, schedule, budget, accessibility, durability, safety, and compliance.
8. Deliver and Operate the Project
The completed housing may be sold, leased, transferred to a public or nonprofit partner, or retained under a long-term ownership structure.
9. Preserve Long-Term Outcomes
The partners establish the compliance, affordability, maintenance, management, reporting, and capital-replacement requirements needed to sustain the project.
What Latitude 98 Looks for in a Partnership
We are most interested in opportunities with:
- A clearly identified housing need
- A suitable property or realistic acquisition path
- Defined public or community objectives
- Qualified and committed partners
- A feasible entitlement strategy
- Realistic funding expectations
- Clear long-term ownership
- Sustainable property operations
- Community compatibility
- Measurable housing outcomes
Latitude 98 evaluates every opportunity independently. Not every property, funding source, or partnership structure will be viable.
Serving Orlando and Central Florida
Latitude 98 evaluates public-private housing partnerships throughout:
- Orange County
- Seminole County
- Lake County
- Osceola County
- Volusia County
- Polk County
Opportunities are considered based on local housing needs, available land, public priorities, infrastructure, zoning, construction costs, financing, and the strength of the proposed partnership.
Partner With Latitude 98
We welcome conversations with:
- Municipalities
- Counties
- Housing authorities
- Community redevelopment agencies
- Nonprofit organizations
- Landowners
- Faith-based institutions
- Lenders
- Tax-credit investors
- Public-funding agencies
- Employers
- Workforce organizations
- Community groups
- Property managers
- Qualified service providers
- Mission-oriented investors
Whether the opportunity involves public land, a neighbourhood infill program, an affordable rental community, workforce housing, veteran housing, supportive housing, or rehabilitation of an existing property, Latitude 98 is prepared to evaluate the development strategy.
Combining Public Purpose With Private Execution
Strong public-private partnerships align community priorities with practical development experience.
Latitude 98 is committed to creating transparent, accountable, and financially sustainable partnerships that expand housing opportunities and strengthen communities throughout Orlando and Central Florida.