- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Clearlake housing project among those receiving state funds
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the funding of 975 affordable homes as part of those 10 funded projects.
Clearlake CIC, LP received $10 million for the development of Clearlake Apartments, an 80-unit affordable housing project in the city of Clearlake.
The project has been awarded more than $3 million in federal CDBG — Disaster Recovery Multifamily Housing Program funding by the city of Clearlake through the California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD.
The project aims to develop 80 units that will be affordable to households with earnings between 30% and 60% area median income.
Additionally, up to 20 units will be reserved for individuals or families with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
The project, located on 15.5-acre property at 15837 18th Ave., also will include a community building, playground and basketball half-court.
The property was part of a land swap completed two years ago between the county and the state. The deal involved Lake County trading the 18th Avenue property to the state for affordable housing and, in return, receiving the former National Guard Armory next to the Lake County Jail in Lakeport.
The armory is being renovated to house the headquarters of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
By identifying and utilizing excess state properties, Newsom’s office said California is on track to deliver approximately 5,550 housing units on excess state land, which will help an estimated 13,600 individuals.
“From day one of my administration, we have taken unprecedented action to tackle the housing crisis, one of the most pressing challenges facing our state,” Newsom said in a statement released about the program. “We’re using every available tool, including the conversion of excess state property into affordable housing to build more, faster. Cities and counties should follow the state’s lead and review their own inventory of excess land to catalyze the construction of more affordable housing throughout the state.”
In this funding round, HCD is allocating more than $63 million from the Excess Sites Local Government Matching Grants, or LGMG, program for the development of new affordable housing, Newsom’s office reported.
These investments will, in turn, match more than $80 million in collaborative funding committed by cities, counties, and public housing authorities where the new projects are located, the state said.
“The Excess Sites program allows for a unique collaboration with our local government partners, to build affordable housing on underutilized sites and optimize limited fiscal resources through matching grants,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “These sites largely have easy access to transit and proximity to critical amenities, providing Californians with housing stability and connecting them to opportunity.”
Newsom issued an executive order in 2019 calling on HCD and the Department of General Services to address the state’s affordable housing crisis by identifying underutilized state-owned sites for the development of affordable housing, taking into account factors such as proximity to job centers, amenities, and public transit.
Excess sites projects, by virtue of being on state land, are subject to a simpler and more streamlined approval process than projects on locally controlled land. Newsom’s office said this expedites the approval process and avoids the exhaustive maneuvers used by some groups and local officials to prevent projects from moving forward.
To support and accelerate implementation of the governor’s excess sites order, HCD established LGMG to provide grant-based funding to match certain local government funding for selected developers to support predevelopment and development of affordable housing on excess state sites.
Newsom’s office said this collaboration between the state and local governments helps to expedite the delivery of affordable housing across the state to meet the goal of developing 2.5 million new homes by 2030, with one million homes being affordable for lower income levels.
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