Homestead, FL Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

Section 30-461 of the Homestead zoning code creates a density bonus program for the five zoning districts that implement the comprehensive plan's medium density residential (MRU) category: the duplex district (R-2), townhouse district (R-TH), multiple apartment district (R-3), clusterhouse district (R-CH), and residential traditional neighborhood district (R-TND). These districts otherwise cap density at 8 dwelling units per acre under Section 30-457, but a developer who satisfies the performance criteria in Section 30-461 can add up to 10 more units per acre, nearly doubling yield.

The first criterion, the environmental building and design performance standard, reserves one bonus unit per acre for a project that pursues Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) certification and/or LEED certification at Silver level or higher. To qualify, the applicant must file a letter of intent with its site plan application committing to the certification, attend a pre-application meeting with the director of development services, and submit site and engineering plans prepared by an FGBC- or LEED-accredited professional, a completed certification checklist, proof of program registration, and a narrative describing how the project will reach the target rating. Before the city issues a final certificate of occupancy, the developer must document that Silver-level certification was actually achieved.

The second criterion, open space preservation, reserves up to one additional unit per acre for dedicating at least 20 percent of the site's gross acreage as public park land in perpetuity, designed for passive and active recreation with pedestrian or bicycle access, or for preserving a 100-foot native-vegetation buffer along an abutting right-of-way. Either dedication must be locked in through an irrevocable conservation easement approved by the city attorney before final site plan approval.