2 min read March 2024 — Invest: spoke with Norton Bonaparte, city manager of the city of Sanford, about affordable housing and the significant increases in rent prices the city has experienced. Bonaparte emphasized the city’s ability to plan as a key for Sanford. “We have a number of businesses moving here, so we have both residential and commercial growth. We are working through our planning department, and our economic development office to get things done by working with business owners,” he said.
What are you most proud of regarding developments in Sanford over the last two years?
It is the ability to plan. We have a number of businesses moving here, so we have both residential and commercial growth. We are working through our planning department, and our economic development office to get things done by working with business owners. We help them through the building permit processes and other construction challenges. When we get requests for a new apartment or buildings, the developers will talk about building nice amenities, such as a dog park, a swimming pool, or an area for people to walk around. We want to make sure it is not just a building, but that it also has amenities that attract people to live there.
How is the city addressing the need for affordable housing?
The Heritage Park project now requires 20% affordable housing units but affordable housing remains a real challenge. While the supply of housing stock is expanding, the demand is greater than the supply. Residents are seeing $200-300 increases in their rent. Still, a recent citizen survey shows a vast majority of people are committed to staying in Sanford. A vast majority said they would suggest that others move here.
What initiatives are in place for the city to encourage equitable opportunities for residents and businesses?
In a recent meeting, we had a report from a committee that the city commissioner established. It is called the Race, Equity, Equality, and Inclusion Advisory Committee. They reported to us about the meeting with the residents of Stanford, and we are doing very well in those areas, but there are still some areas where we need improving. We are very cognizant of needing to be very open, accessible, inviting, and warm to represent our full diversity. In terms of hiring, the report said we need more diversity in our police department. We had a swearing-in ceremony recently and five of the officers were African American, one was a female, and the other was Caucasian. That shows we want our police department to represent the full diversity of our community.
How does the city maintain its reputation of having exceptional local education?
Education is handled by the Seminole County Public School District, which is not in control of the city. We have two high schools, 16 elementary schools, and two middle schools, but they are run by the district. We work closely with them to make sure we have great facilities around the schools.
How have ongoing changes in the market impacted the city, if at all?
We have seen a positive impact. A lot of warehouses and distribution companies have established themselves here. According to the City’s Winter 2023 Development in Progress map, there is over 202 million square feet of industrial development underway.
We have an increasing tax base, while other municipalities have seen their downtowns getting emptier because people weren’t coming into the office. We have had three to four new commercial businesses build facilities that are 100,000-square-foot manufacturing spaces.
What long-term strategic opportunities is Sanford focusing on?
Many people are moving here and bringing growth. We need to make sure our infrastructure can keep up with that. We are the oldest city in the county and our infrastructure is old. We need good infrastructure to provide municipal services, fire and police to the growing population, and it is a challenge to do that. We want to continue to be a place where people want to live, do business, and retire. We have a downtown and a historic district with homes that have seen a big increase in value. People come downtown to go “Sanfording,” visiting our restaurants, shops and experiencing the unique sights and sounds that our Sanford boasts to visitors. The end result is a vibrant economy that continues to attract visitors to Downtown Sanford.
For more information, please visit:
