Tag: affordable housing

Former ICE field director seizes on immigration in race against Rep. Jason Crow to represent Aurora

John Fabbricatore enforced federal immigration laws in his position as an ICE field office director until two years ago, and now he hopes to help secure America’s borders as a congressman.

The Republican candidate in Colorado’s 6th Congressional District is drawing on his career with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as he runs against U.S. Rep. Jason Crow in the Nov. 5 election. Crow, a Democrat, just finished his third term in Congress as the representative of the district, which includes Aurora, Littleton, Englewood, Greenwood Village and Centennial.

The odds weigh heavily in Crow’s favor. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report doesn’t consider the fight for the 6th District to be competitive. It’s ranked as solidly Democratic, in part because Crow, 45, won all three of his elections by double-digit percentages and redistricting in 2020 resulted in boundaries more favorable to Democrats.

That’s a change from 2018 when the district was seen as a battleground and Crow won his first race by unseating then-U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, now Aurora’s mayor.

But this time, Fabbricatore, 52, says voters are looking for a candidate who will prioritize the economy and lower taxes — and he contends that he’s the person for the job.

“They want someone that wants to fight,” Fabbricatore said.

He and Crow share certain traits. They’re both veterans: Fabbricatore served in the U.S. Air Force, and Crow was an Army Ranger. They’re hunters, each having longstanding experience with firearms. Neither hails from Colorado originally, with Fabbricatore raised in New York City and Crow in Madison, Wisconsin.

And the candidates, both fathers of two children, reside in Aurora.

Beyond that, their stances on major issues diverge — including on immigration, which Fabbricatore refers to as his “subject matter expertise.”

He argues jobs are going to immigrants compensated with lower wages, taking positions that could be filled by Americans for higher pay. Fabbricatore says he supports “legal, vetted” immigration and more stringent enforcement of existing laws.

“If we actually just enforce those laws, we will be doing much better than we are doing today with immigration,” he said.

In recent weeks, Fabbricatore has raised the alarm alongside former President Donald Trump and other conservatives about the presence of Venezuelan gangs in Aurora — while Crow has called out exaggerations and criticized Trump for distorting the problems in certain apartment complexes.

Crow notes that he represents “one of the most diverse districts in the nation,” with nearly 20% of his constituents born outside of the U.S. He wants to use federal grants and other programs to help immigrants and defend them against racist rhetoric.

He said he backed a bipartisan immigration deal that ran aground earlier this year after failing to earn enough Republican support. It would have boosted the number of border patrol agents, immigration judges and officers that oversee asylum cases, as well as established more legal pathways for migrants and others without documentation.

Fabbricatore said in a Denver Post candidate questionnaire that he would not have supported the bipartisan bill, instead preferring another bill with a greater focus on border security.

Gun violence is what motivated Crow to run for office. He backs a ban on assault weapons and supports universal background checks. He’s also working to pass a bill that would apply the same restrictions to out-of-state residents when they purchase long guns and shotguns as they face when buying handguns — requiring that the gun be shipped to a federally licensed seller in their home state, with a background check performed there.

Gun violence is “just an unacceptable, avoidable, ongoing national tragedy,” Crow said. “We don’t have to live with mass shootings.”

Fabbricatore says he believes in gun rights and is instead pushing for investments in mental health.

The candidates differ on abortion. Crow favors abortion rights, saying he aligns with the majority of Coloradans who back legal access to abortion — and he would support a federal law establishing that as a right. Fabbricatore says Congress should leave abortion’s legal status to the states. He opposes abortion, but he says he recognizes a need for exceptions, including in cases of rape.

“Having been someone who worked in sex trafficking and saw what many women went through, I could never tell a woman that she couldn’t have a medical procedure to end what happened to her,” he said.

Fabbricatore points to the economy as his No. 1 issue, saying it’s impacted by energy policy and immigration. He sees Colorado’s potential to participate in the energy sector through solar, wind, fracking and coal.

He says he wants to leave the younger generations with a prosperous economy, reliable job market and reasonable housing prices.

Crow says the nation’s inflation and interest rates are dropping, but he contends that prices are still “way too high for many Coloradans.”

He points to corporate price gouging as a contributing factor. Crow argues that the labor shortage, which drives up prices, could be addressed through immigration reform.

He touted the Inflation Reduction Act’s provisions lowering the cost of many prescription drugs for Medicare enrollees.

“There’s more work to do, but we’re on a good path — and certainly need to keep on the path that we are to make sure things are affordable,” Crow said.

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Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton

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October 15, 2024
Affordable housing tax credits set to expire, threatening eviction for thousands of U.S. families

For more than two decades, the low rent on Marina Maalouf’s apartment in a blocky affordable housing development in Los Angeles’ Chinatown was a saving grace for her family, including a granddaughter who has autism.

But that grace had an expiration date. For Maalouf and her family it arrived in 2020.

The landlord, no longer legally obligated to keep the building affordable, hiked rent from $1,100 to $2,660 in 2021 — out of reach for Maalouf and her family. Maalouf’s nights are haunted by fears her yearslong eviction battle will end in sleeping bags on a friend’s floor or worse.

While Americans continue to struggle under unrelentingly high rents, as many as 223,000 affordable housing units like Maalouf’s across the U.S. could be yanked out from under them in the next five years alone.

It leaves low-income tenants caught facing protracted eviction battles, scrambling to pay a two-fold rent increase or more, or shunted back into a housing market where costs can easily eat half a paycheck.

Marina Maalouf, a longtime resident of Hillside Villa, watches as her granddaughter feeds fish in their apartment in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.

Jae C. Hong / AP

Those affordable housing units were built with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, or LIHTC, a federal program established in 1986 that provides tax credits to developers in exchange for keeping rents low. It has pumped out 3.6 million units since then and boasts over half of all federally supported low-income housing nationwide.

“It’s the lifeblood of affordable housing development,” said Brian Rossbert, who runs Housing Colorado, an organization advocating for affordable homes.

That lifeblood isn’t strictly red or blue. By combining social benefits with tax breaks and private ownership, LIHTC has enjoyed bipartisan support. Its expansion is now central to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ housing plan to build 3 million new homes.

The catch? The buildings typically only need to be kept affordable for a minimum of 30 years. For the wave of LIHTC construction in the 1990s, those deadlines are arriving now, threatening to hemorrhage affordable housing supply when Americans need it most.

“If we are losing the homes that are currently affordable and available to households, then we’re losing ground on the crisis,” said Sarah Saadian, vice president of public policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

“It’s sort of like having a boat with a hole at the bottom,” she said.

Actions by tenants, state to keep rents low

Not all units that expire out of LIHTC become market rate. Some are kept affordable by other government subsidies, by merciful landlords or by states, including California, Colorado and New York, that have worked to keep them low-cost by relying on several levers.

Local governments and nonprofits can purchase expiring apartments, new tax credits can be applied that extend the affordability, or, as in Maalouf’s case, tenants can organize to try to force action from landlords and city officials.

Marina Maalouf, a longtime resident of Hillside Villa, sits for a photo in her apartment in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.

Jae C. Hong / AP

Those options face challenges. While new tax credits can reup a lapsing LIHTC property, they are limited, doled out to states by the Internal Revenue Service based on population. It’s also a tall order for local governments and nonprofits to shell out enough money to purchase and keep expiring developments affordable. And there is little aggregated data on exactly when LIHTC units will lose their affordability, making it difficult for policymakers and activists to fully prepare.

There also is less of a political incentive to preserve the units.

“Politically, you’re rewarded for an announcement, a groundbreaking, a ribbon-cutting,” said Vicki Been, a New York University professor who previously was New York City’s deputy mayor for housing and economic development.

“You’re not rewarded for being a good manager of your assets and keeping track of everything and making sure that you’re not losing a single affordable housing unit,” she said.

Maalouf stood in her apartment courtyard on a recent warm day, chit-chatting and waving to neighbors, a bracelet with a photo of Che Guevarra dangling from her arm.

Carter Work Project marks 40 years helping build homes

04:01

“Friendly,” is how Maalouf described her previous self, but not assertive. That is until the rent hikes pushed her in front of the Los Angeles City Council for the first time, sweat beading as she fought for her home.

Now an organizer with the LA Tenants’ Union, Maalouf isn’t afraid to speak up, but the angst over her home still keeps her up at night. Mornings she repeats a mantra: “We still here. We still here.” But fighting day after day to make it true is exhausting.

Maalouf’s apartment was built before California made LIHTC contracts last 55 years instead of 30 in 1996. About 5,700 LIHTC units built around the time of Maalouf’s are expiring in the next decade. In Texas, it’s 21,000 units.

A general view of Hillside Villa, where Marina Maalouf is a longtime tenant, is seen in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.

Jae C. Hong / AP

When California Treasurer Fiona Ma assumed office in 2019, she steered the program toward developers committed to affordable housing and not what she called “churn and burn,” buying up LIHTC properties and flipping them onto the market as soon as possible.

In California, landlords must notify state and local governments and tenants before their building expires. Housing organizations, nonprofits, and state or local governments then have first shot at buying the property to keep it affordable. Expiring developments also are prioritized for new tax credits, and the state essentially requires that all LIHTC applicants have experience owning and managing affordable housing.

“It kind of weeded out people who weren’t interested in affordable housing long term,” said Marina Wiant, executive director of California’s tax credit allocation committee.

But unlike California, some states haven’t extended LIHTC agreements beyond 30 years, let alone taken other measures to keep expiring housing affordable.

Colorado, which has some 80,000 LIHTC units, passed a law this year giving local governments the right of first refusal in hopes of preserving 4,400 units set to lose affordability protections in the next six years. The law also requires landlords to give local and state governments a two-year heads-up before expiration.

Still, local governments or nonprofits scraping together the funds to buy sizeable apartment buildings is far from a guarantee.

Continuous cycle

Stories like Maalouf’s will keep playing out as LIHTC units turn over, threatening to send families with meager means back into the housing market. The median income of Americans living in these units was just $18,600 in 2021, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“This is like a math problem,” said Rossbert of Housing Colorado. “As soon as one of these units expires and converts to market rate and a household is displaced, they become a part of the need that’s driving the need for new construction.”

“It’s hard to get out of that cycle,” he said.

Colorado’s housing agency works with groups across the state on preservation and has a fund to help. Still, it’s unclear how many LIHTC units can be saved, in Colorado or across the country.

It’s even hard to know how many units nationwide are expiring. An accurate accounting would require sorting through the constellation of municipal, state and federal subsidies, each with their own affordability requirements and end dates.

A wall in Marina Maalouf’s apartment is adorned with family photos as an El Salvadoran flag is draped over an American flag in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.

Jae C. Hong / AP

That can throw a wrench into policymakers’ and advocates’ ability to fully understand where and when many units will lose affordability, and then funnel resources to the right places, said Kelly McElwain, who manages and oversees the National Housing Preservation Database. It’s the most comprehensive aggregation of LIHTC data nationally, but with all the gaps, it remains a rough estimate.

There also are fears that if states publicize their expiring LIHTC units, for-profit buyers without an interest in keeping them affordable would pounce.

“It’s sort of this Catch-22 of trying to both understand the problem and not put out a big for-sale sign in front of a property right before its expiration,” Rossbert said.

Meanwhile, Maalouf’s tenant activism has helped move the needle in Los Angeles. The city has offered the landlord $15 million to keep her building affordable through 2034, but that deal wouldn’t get rid of over 30 eviction cases still proceeding, including Maalouf’s, or the $25,000 in back rent she owes.

Rubie Caceres, a granddaughter of Marina Maalouf, a longtime resident of Hillside Villa, plays with a toy camera in her apartment in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.

Jae C. Hong / AP

In her courtyard, Maalouf’s granddaughter, Rubie Caceres, shuffled up with a glass of water. She is 5 years old, but with special needs, her speech is more disconnected words than sentences.

“That’s why I’ve been hoping everything becomes normal again, and she can be safe,” said Maalouf, her voice shaking with emotion. She has urged her son to start saving money for the worst.

“We’ll keep fighting,” she said, “but day by day it’s hard.”

“I’m tired already.”

___

Bedayn reported from Denver.

___

Bedayn is a corps member of The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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October 7, 2024
Takeaways from AP’s report on affordable housing disappearing across the U.S.

LOS ANGELES — While Americans continue to struggle under unrelentingly high rents, as many as 223,000 affordable housing units across the U.S. could disappear in the next five years alone.

It leaves low-income tenants facing protracted eviction battles, scrambling to pay a two-fold rent increase or more, or shunted back into a housing market where costs can easily eat half a paycheck.

Those affordable housing units were built with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, or LIHTC, a federal program launched in 1987 that provides tax credits to developers in exchange for keeping rents low.

It has pumped out 3.6 million units nationwide, and its expansion is now central to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ housing plan to build 3 million new homes.

The catch? The buildings typically only need to be kept affordable for a minimum of 30 years. For the wave of LIHTC construction in the 1990s, those deadlines are arriving now, threatening to hemorrhage affordable housing supply when Americans need it most.

Data on LIHTC units that will lose their affordability nationally remains a rough estimate.

The best nationwide analysis estimated that by 2030 roughly 350,000 LIHTC units are at risk of losing affordability. That’s 1 million units by 2040, according to the National Housing Preservation Database.

Not all units that lose LIHTC’s affordability protections become market rate. Some are kept affordable by other government subsidies, by merciful landlords or by states, including California, Colorado and New York, that have worked to keep costs low.

Still, it’s a sizeable loss to a housing market already in dire need of new units.

“If we are losing the homes that are currently affordable and available to households, then we’re losing ground on the crisis,” said Sarah Saadian, vice president of public policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

“It’s sort of like having a boat with a hole at the bottom,” she said.

Local governments and nonprofits can purchase expiring apartments, new tax credits or other subsidies can be applied that extend the affordability, or tenants can organize to try to force action from landlords and city officials.

California now requires all new LIHTC properties to be affordable for 55 years. Expiring developments built before that rule are also prioritized for new tax credits, and the state essentially requires that all LIHTC applicants have experience owning and managing affordable housing.

California and Colorado require landlords to notify local governments and tenants before their building expires. Cities and nonprofits then have first shot at buying the property to keep it affordable.

However, unlike California many states haven’t extended LIHTC agreements beyond 30 years, let alone taken other measures to keep expiring housing affordable.

Still, local governments or nonprofits scraping together the funds to buy apartment buildings is far from a guarantee. And while new tax credits can reup a lapsing LIHTC affordability, they are limited, doled out to states by the Internal Revenue Service based on population.

For more than two decades, the low rent on Marina Maalouf’s LIHTC apartment in Los Angeles’ Chinatown was a saving grace for her family, including a granddaughter who has autism.

When that grace expired, the landlord, no longer legally obligated to keep the building affordable, hiked rent from $1,100 to $2,660 in 2021 — out of reach for Maalouf and her family. Tenant protests, a rent strike and eviction filings followed.

The eviction case is ongoing, haunting Maalouf’s nights with fears of her family ending up in sleeping bags on a friend’s floor or worse. Mornings she repeats a mantra: “We still here. We still here.” But fighting day after day to make it true is exhausting.

Still, Maalouf’s tenant activism has helped move the needle. The City of Los Angeles has offered the landlord $15 million to keep her building affordable through 2034, but that deal wouldn’t get rid of over 30 eviction cases still proceeding, including Maalouf’s, or the $25,000 in back rent she owes.

On a recent day in the courtyard of Maalouf’s apartment, her granddaughter shuffled up with a glass of water. She is 5 years old, but with special needs, her speech is more disconnected words than sentences.

“That’s why I’ve been hoping everything becomes normal again, and she can be safe,” said Maalouf, her voice shaking with emotion. She has urged her son to start saving money for the worst.

“We’ll keep fighting,” she said, “but day by day it’s hard. … I’m tired already.”

___

Bedayn is a corps member of The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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October 6, 2024
As affordable housing disappears, states scramble to shore up the losses

LOS ANGELES — For more than two decades, the low rent on Marina Maalouf’s apartment in a blocky affordable housing development in Los Angeles’ Chinatown was a saving grace for her family, including a granddaughter who has autism.

But that grace had an expiration date. For Maalouf and her family it arrived in 2020.

The landlord, no longer legally obligated to keep the building affordable, hiked rent from $1,100 to $2,660 in 2021 — out of reach for Maalouf and her family. Maalouf’s nights are haunted by fears her yearslong eviction battle will end in sleeping bags on a friend’s floor or worse.

While Americans continue to struggle under unrelentingly high rents, as many as 223,0000 affordable housing units like Maalouf’s across the U.S. could be yanked out from under them in the next five years alone.

It leaves low-income tenants caught facing protracted eviction battles, scrambling to pay a two-fold rent increase or more, or shunted back into a housing market where costs can easily eat half a paycheck.

Those affordable housing units were built with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, or LIHTC, a federal program established in 1986 that provides tax credits to developers in exchange for keeping rents low. It has pumped out 3.6 million units since then and boasts over half of all federally supported low-income housing nationwide.

“It’s the lifeblood of affordable housing development,” said Brian Rossbert, who runs Housing Colorado, an organization advocating for affordable homes.

That lifeblood isn’t strictly red or blue. By combining social benefits with tax breaks and private ownership, LIHTC has enjoyed bipartisan support. Its expansion is now central to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ housing plan to build 3 million new homes.

The catch? The buildings typically only need to be kept affordable for a minimum of 30 years. For the wave of LIHTC construction in the 1990s, those deadlines are arriving now, threatening to hemorrhage affordable housing supply when Americans need it most.

“If we are losing the homes that are currently affordable and available to households, then we’re losing ground on the crisis,” said Sarah Saadian, vice president of public policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

“It’s sort of like having a boat with a hole at the bottom,” she said.

Not all units that expire out of LIHTC become market rate. Some are kept affordable by other government subsidies, by merciful landlords or by states, including California, Colorado and New York, that have worked to keep them low-cost by relying on several levers.

Local governments and nonprofits can purchase expiring apartments, new tax credits can be applied that extend the affordability, or, as in Maalouf’s case, tenants can organize to try to force action from landlords and city officials.

Those options face challenges. While new tax credits can reup a lapsing LIHTC property, they are limited, doled out to states by the Internal Revenue Service based on population. It’s also a tall order for local governments and nonprofits to shell out enough money to purchase and keep expiring developments affordable. And there is little aggregated data on exactly when LIHTC units will lose their affordability, making it difficult for policymakers and activists to fully prepare.

There also is less of a political incentive to preserve the units.

“Politically, you’re rewarded for an announcement, a groundbreaking, a ribbon-cutting,” said Vicki Been, a New York University professor who previously was New York City’s deputy mayor for housing and economic development.

“You’re not rewarded for being a good manager of your assets and keeping track of everything and making sure that you’re not losing a single affordable housing unit,” she said.

Maalouf stood in her apartment courtyard on a recent warm day, chit-chatting and waving to neighbors, a bracelet with a photo of Che Guevarra dangling from her arm.

“Friendly,” is how Maalouf described her previous self, but not assertive. That is until the rent hikes pushed her in front of the Los Angeles City Council for the first time, sweat beading as she fought for her home.

Now an organizer with the LA Tenants’ Union, Maalouf isn’t afraid to speak up, but the angst over her home still keeps her up at night. Mornings she repeats a mantra: “We still here. We still here.” But fighting day after day to make it true is exhausting.

Maalouf’s apartment was built before California made LIHTC contracts last 55 years instead of 30 in 1996. About 5,700 LIHTC units built around the time of Maalouf’s are expiring in the next decade. In Texas, it’s 21,000 units.

When California Treasurer Fiona Ma assumed office in 2019, she steered the program toward developers committed to affordable housing and not what she called “churn and burn,” buying up LIHTC properties and flipping them onto the market as soon as possible.

In California, landlords must notify state and local governments and tenants before their building expires. Housing organizations, nonprofits, and state or local governments then have first shot at buying the property to keep it affordable. Expiring developments also are prioritized for new tax credits, and the state essentially requires that all LIHTC applicants have experience owning and managing affordable housing.

“It kind of weeded out people who weren’t interested in affordable housing long term,” said Marina Wiant, executive director of California’s tax credit allocation committee.

But unlike California, some states haven’t extended LIHTC agreements beyond 30 years, let alone taken other measures to keep expiring housing affordable.

Colorado, which has some 80,000 LIHTC units, passed a law this year giving local governments the right of first refusal in hopes of preserving 4,400 units set to lose affordability protections in the next six years. The law also requires landlords to give local and state governments a two-year heads-up before expiration.

Still, local governments or nonprofits scraping together the funds to buy sizeable apartment buildings is far from a guarantee.

Stories like Maalouf’s will keep playing out as LIHTC units turn over, threatening to send families with meager means back into the housing market. The median income of Americans living in these units was just $18,600 in 2021, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“This is like a math problem,” said Rossbert of Housing Colorado. “As soon as one of these units expires and converts to market rate and a household is displaced, they become a part of the need that’s driving the need for new construction.”

“It’s hard to get out of that cycle,” he said.

Colorado’s housing agency works with groups across the state on preservation and has a fund to help. Still, it’s unclear how many LIHTC units can be saved, in Colorado or across the country.

It’s even hard to know how many units nationwide are expiring. An accurate accounting would require sorting through the constellation of municipal, state and federal subsidies, each with their own affordability requirements and end dates.

That can throw a wrench into policymakers’ and advocates’ ability to fully understand where and when many units will lose affordability, and then funnel resources to the right places, said Kelly McElwain, who manages and oversees the National Housing Preservation Database. It’s the most comprehensive aggregation of LIHTC data nationally, but with all the gaps, it remains a rough estimate.

There also are fears that if states publicize their expiring LIHTC units, for-profit buyers without an interest in keeping them affordable would pounce.

“It’s sort of this Catch-22 of trying to both understand the problem and not put out a big for-sale sign in front of a property right before its expiration,” Rossbert said.

Meanwhile, Maalouf’s tenant activism has helped move the needle in Los Angeles. The city has offered the landlord $15 million to keep her building affordable through 2034, but that deal wouldn’t get rid of over 30 eviction cases still proceeding, including Maalouf’s, or the $25,000 in back rent she owes.

In her courtyard, Maalouf’s granddaughter, Rubie Caceres, shuffled up with a glass of water. She is 5 years old, but with special needs, her speech is more disconnected words than sentences.

“That’s why I’ve been hoping everything becomes normal again, and she can be safe,” said Maalouf, her voice shaking with emotion. She has urged her son to start saving money for the worst.

“We’ll keep fighting,” she said, “but day by day it’s hard.”

“I’m tired already.”

___

Bedayn reported from Denver.

___

Bedayn is a corps member of The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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October 5, 2024
Why Florida’s Retirees Are Fleeing — And Where They’re Going Instead

iStock / iStock.com

Once considered the ideal place to live out one’s golden years, Florida is quickly losing favor with retirement-aged folks. Remote workers and the wealthy are flocking to the state and driving up home prices, leaving those on a fixed income feeling the pinch.

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In just half a decade, the median price of a single-family house in Florida rose $150,000, or 60%. According to Redfin, the average cost of a home in March 2018 was approximately $250,000. In July 2024, the median sale price was $409,700.

But expensive housing isn’t the only thing repelling retirees from the state. Inflation and stock market dips have also negatively impacted their financial situation.

In response, seniors are seeking more affordable places to call home. For example, many are moving to Limestone County, Alabama, the fastest-growing county in the state. The area boasts lakefront property, warm weather and low property taxes, so it only makes sense that it’s considered a substitute for The Sunshine State.

Earning passive income doesn’t need to be difficult. You can start this week.

What Should You Do?

If you’re nearing retirement, you may want to choose a less traditional region to reside in post-work. Towns like Sequim, Washington; Linden, Michigan and Thermopolis, Wyoming offer perks like more affordable housing, favorable tax treatment and proximity to major metros.

Trending Now: I’m a Retired Boomer: Here Are 3 Debts You Should Definitely Pay Off Before Retirement

But no matter where you live, there are certain things you should do with your money. For example, you should continue to invest, set aside money for emergencies, maintain an up-to-date estate plan and stay (or become) debt-free. That way, your cash stretches further, and you feel more secure.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Why Florida’s Retirees Are Fleeing — And Where They’re Going Instead

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October 5, 2024
State doles out $28M to preserve open space

BOSTON — The state is distributing nearly $28 million to communities and regional organizations to upgrade parks and preserve open space as part of broader efforts to blunt the impact of climate change.

The state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said it has awarded $27.8 million for park improvements and open space acquisition through several grant programs to help 54 communities and trusts to protect land. The spending will help preserve nearly 2,400 acres of open space statewide, the agency said.

Gov. Maura Healey said the open space program’s projects will “boost public health, drive tourism, and strengthen our economy” and that the spending is part of a large effort “creating sustainable communities and safeguarding our natural resources for future generations.”

“Investing in parks and open space is critical for our state’s resilience against climate change, tackling issues like urban heat islands, flooding, sea level rise, and drought,” Healey said in a statement.

The funding includes $500,000 for Lawrence to cover upgrades to Campagnone Common, a 17.5-acre park in the city’s downtown that hosts festivals and other gatherings.

“By enhancing public spaces for recreation and community, we’re not only fostering a healthier, more vibrant Lawrence but also contributing to our city’s economic vitality as more people come to enjoy everything Lawrence has to offer,” state Sen. Pavel Payano, D-Lawrence, said in a statement.

Salem is receiving $500,000 from the Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities program for renovations at Curtis Memorial Park that will upgrade structures and a playing field, the agency said.

The Essex County Greenbelt Association will receive $300,000 through the Conservation Partnership Grants program to preserve 84 acres of farmland, wildlife habitat and headwaters to the East Meadow River, a tributary to the Merrimack River and a major source of drinking water for Haverhill, the agency said.

A 1972 amendment to the state constitution, approved by 82% of voters, gave the state Legislature the authority to order the purchase of land – by eminent domain or otherwise – for conservation, recreation or open space. It set a two-thirds vote requirement for lawmakers to approve or make changes to protections.

A 2022 amendment to the law declares that land preservation is considered a “public purpose” by the state government and that “people have the right to clean air and water, freedom from excessive and unnecessary noise, and the natural, scenic, historic and aesthetic qualities of their environment.”

The law includes a provision that allows for a cash payment in lieu of replacement land, which must be at 110% of the property’s value.

Within three years of the transaction, the money must be deposited into a fund dedicated to the purchase of Article 97 land that is of “equal natural resource value and acreage.”

The Resilient Lands Initiative, a coalition of state agencies, nonprofit environmental groups and land trusts, wants to speed up land conservation in Massachusetts with a focus on climate resilience and environmental justice. The group has set a goal of conserving 30% of land statewide by 2030 and 40% by 2050.

Conservationists have faced a backlash from some local leaders who have raised concerns about the drain on their budgets when large tracts are taken off the tax rolls and made off limits to commercial development or housing projects that provide tax revenue.

The scramble for undeveloped land has also pitted advocates of open space against those of affordable housing, who argue that the need for low-income housing in many communities often takes a back seat to creating new parks, protecting forests and preserving wildlife habitat.

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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September 28, 2024
ForwardDallas 2.0 Passes After Contentious Day at City Hall

After many months, amendments and debates, Dallas City Council voted Wednesday 11-4 to approve ForwardDallas 2.0. Contention over the plan pitted those favoring higher-density housing — meaning apartments — against homeowners in single-family residential areas who fear its effect on their neighborhoods and property values…

Kelly Dearmore

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September 25, 2024
Ministry that feeds 700 families weekly fears they will have to relocate
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The ministry that’s been providing fresh produce and meats to the Midtown neighborhood of St. Petersburg for the past five years fears it will be forced to relocate out of the area that needs them the most.

Positive Impact Ministries has been hosting a drive-through style grocery pick-up out of Tangerine Plaza every Saturday for the last five years.
What You Need To Know

Positive Impact has been serving 2,000+ people weekly for the past 5 years

They have been working out of Tangerine Plaza on 22^nd St South

Under lease agreement, affordable housing will go on plaza site

Group fears midtown neighborhood won’t get fresh food access they need
The plaza, which sits mostly vacant, is located on 22nd Street S in an area of St. Pete that’s been long considered a food desert, said Karen Rae, Executive Director of Positive Impact Ministries.

The last major tenant of Tangerine Plaza was a Walmart Neighborhood Market that closed its doors in 2017.

In June, the city entered into a lease and development agreement with Sugar Hill Group LLC. Early plans show the plaza will be leveled and roughly 115 affordable housing units as well as a small grocery store will go in its place.

Beth Herendeen, Managing Director or the City Development Administration, said the Sugar Hill Group has until January 2026 to exercise their option to lease the property.

“During that 18-month period, the Sugar Hill Group must do its due diligence on the property, secure funding, identify its contractor(s), and secure a commitment from a grocer. The Sugar Hill Group is not required to provide periodic updates, and we have not received any new documentation,” Herendeen wrote in an email.

In June, the city entered into a lease and development agreement with Sugar Hill Group LLC. Early plans show the plaza will be leveled and roughly 115 affordable housing units as well as a small grocery store will go in its place. (Spectrum Bay News 9/Sarah Blazonis)

Rae fears if the plans move forward as agreed upon, residents will no longer have the access to fresh food that they need.

“We have been here 5 years, every single Saturday come rain or shine,” she said. “These are our essential workers who are simply not making enough to be able to pay for all their basic needs.”

The weekly Saturday morning grocery pick-up is a drive through style event where families pick up pre-portioned boxes filled with fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy, and bread. Rae estimates that 700 families pick up groceries every Saturday feeding a total of roughly 2,800 people.

Positive Impact Ministries partners with major grocery stores as well as Feeding Tampa Bay to gather the amount of food needed to sustain the demand.

Rae hopes they can work closed with the city on a solution that gives midtown residents the resources and food access they need.

“I want to make sure there is a plan moving forward and we need the city to get behind us,” she said. “The city knows that there’s a great need. Thankfully they’ve allowed us to operate out of Tangerine Plaza which we are so grateful for, but moving forward we really do need to consider the needs of the neighbors and come up with a solution on how we plan to work together to meet those needs.”
Angie Angers

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September 20, 2024
In an effort to create more affordable homes, Gov. Newsom signs package of housing bills

Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday signed a package of bills designed to alleviate the state’s housing affordability crisis.

The new laws aim to boost the availability of housing in a variety of ways, including streamlining the approval process for certain projects and requiring that local municipalities create plans to house the most vulnerable Californians.

“The original sin in this state is affordability,” Newsom said at news conference. “That is the challenge we are trying to address.”

The bill signings Thursday follow a number of actions lawmakers have taken in recent years to make housing more affordable.

There have been big ticket items like eliminating most single-family only zones to allow duplexes and so-called accessory dwelling units, as well as more under-the-radar efforts that have boosted ADU construction and chipped away at the ability local governments have to block housing developments.

One of those lesser known laws is Assembly Bill 2011, a law from Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) that streamlined the approval process for housing projects on certain types of commercial land if developers reserve some units for lower-income residents.

On Wednesday, developer Thrive Living and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass celebrated the groundbreaking of what was billed as the first AB 2011 project to move forward in the city. The Baldwin Village development will consist of 800 apartments on top of a ground-floor Costco store. Just over 180 of those units will be for low-income households.

In his news conference Thursday, Newsom said the total housing package includes 32 bills and he signed seven at the event that tweak a number of existing rules to try to spur more housing.

One measure from Wicks, AB 2243, amends the law that Thrive Living used in Los Angeles. Under the new rules, developers will be able to receive the streamlined approval in more areas than they do now, including regional malls and land closer to freeways.

Another bill, AB 3093 from Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego), requires that local municipalities plan for housing that will be available to households making up to 15% and up to 30% of the area‘s median income.

Currently, the lowest income bracket communities must plan for is less than 50% of area median income, meaning in theory that cities could fulfill those goals by building housing just for people making 49% of local income.

Officials say that by adding the new, lower income categories it will help create more housing for people who are homeless or at greatest risk of losing their homes.

Local municipalities will also face stricter penalties if they reject housing projects in ways that state law does not allow them to do.

Under Senate Bill 1037, from State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), communities will face civil penalties up to $50,000 a month for as long as a violation persists. The money will be deposited into a state fund and used to develop income-restricted housing in that community.

Andrew Khouri

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September 19, 2024
Pilot program offers Long Beach homeowners up to $250,000 in low-interest loans to build ADUs

Eager to boost the supply of affordable housing, city officials in Long Beach devised a program that could help a limited number of homeowners build an extra unit on their land.

But before they could launch it, they had to decide what to call it.

“We’ve been playing with a name for a while,” Mayor Rex Richardson said, noting that a news release touting the program had been delayed days because of christening purposes. “We’re building the bike as we ride it.”

Long Beach officials settled on the self-explanatory “Backyard Builders Program,” hoping a partial solution to a dearth of affordable housing lies in the unused spaces of city homeowners’ property. It’s a concept widely supported by advocates of low-income housing although some argue that the city’s version should have included more tenant protections.

Long Beach’s pilot program uses one-time funding that will provide as many as 10 homeowners low- to zero-interest loans of up to $250,000 to build Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, on their lots. Those units would have to be rented out to lower-income individuals or families for a minimum of five years.

Interested applicants can apply at https://www.longbeach.gov/lbcd/hn/aduloan/.

“Long Beach has been a leader on ADU production,” Richardson said. “And we’ve done all the things we need to do … to make it easy for people to develop ADUs in their backyard.”

Claremont McKenna College’s Rose Institute confirmed in an April report that Long Beach was among the most ADU-friendly cities in the state, having issued 1,431 ADU permits between 2018 and 2022. While that total trails larger cities like San Diego (2,867), Long Beach produced 317 permits per 100,000 residents.

An ADU, as defined by the city’s Community Development Department for this pilot program, must come with independent facilities that include a living room, sleeping area, kitchen and bathroom.

In addition to agreeing to the temporary rent limit, property owners must live on site and have less than four units already on their land.

The units may be rented to anyone earning 80% or less of the Los Angeles County median income, which translates into $77,700 for an individual, $88,800 for a two-person family, $99,900 for three people and $110,950 for four, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning.

But the program gives homeowners an extra financial incentive to rent these ADUs to recipients of Long Beach’s housing choice voucher program, which provides a portion of the rent for those who fall into extremely low income, very low income or low income categories.

Building an ADU has grown more expensive in recent years, with labor and material costs jumping 11% and 9%, respectively in 2021 and 2022, while construction labor costs rose 34% between 2018 and 2023.

The loan covers up to $250,000 in planning, permitting and construction costs, though Kelli Pezzelle, a Backyard Builders community program specialist, doesn’t anticipate the loans needing to be that high.

The interest on the loan will remain at 0% as long as the owner rents the ADU to a low-income recipient. A stipulation for loan qualification is that the owner must rent the home to a voucher recipient for a minimum of five years or a nonvoucher, lower-income tenant for seven years.

The loan’s interest rate will jump to 3% if rented to someone who doesn’t meet the income limits after the five- or seven-year period. An owner would incur a $2,500 monthly penalty if the ADU is rented to a nonqualified tenant ahead of time.

The possible removal of low-income tenants concerns Long Beach Residents Empowered, or LiBRE, an advocacy group that pushes for the creation and preservation of affordable housing and renter protections.

“We’re happy that the city is investing in affordable housing and trying to reduce the housing shortage,” said LiBRE’s Project Director Andre Donado, via a phone call. “Every single renter, however, is at risk of eviction after five years.”

Donado also hoped the city would consider offering relocation assistance of $4,500 to low-income renters displaced through no fault of their own in all cases.

The city offers $4,500 or two months rent if a landlord demolishes or substantially remodels a building, but only one month’s rent in other cases.

“I think there are several positives with the program, and we’d like to see it made permanent, with some adjustments,” Donado said.

The pilot’s loans are significantly larger than the up to $40,000 in aid provided by California Housing Finance Agency’s ADU Grant Program, which doled out $125 million to help homeowners cover permitting and planning costs before running out of funds.

The city believes that house-rich, cash-poor homeowners, particularly seniors, could take advantage of the loan to build an ADU and create passive income. The program estimates that the ADUs built with its loans would generate more than $1,000 monthly for owners who rent to voucher holders.

“You may be a grandma or someone who’s got way too much backyard, and you want to be a part of the solution, but it may be hard for you to navigate or identify financing,” Richardson said.

To that end, the city is expected to appoint a project manager to help loan recipients choose an architect, builders, planners, contractors and others needed throughout the planning and construction process. That manager will work as an intermediary between the property owner and the general contractor.

One caveat for interested property owners is that a qualified renter cannot be a relative or a caregiver for their household.

As for the loan, payments will be deferred during the building process up to two years.

Richardson said since the program is based on loans that will be repaid over time, it will be self-sustaining. If it’s deemed a success — meaning that ADUs are built and rented to lower-income tenants — he said the city would consider looking for more revenue streams to expand the project.

The city is hosting a series of Zoom webinars to gauge interest in the program and answer questions.

Andrew J. Campa

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September 19, 2024
Could the “YIMBY” movement fix America’s affordable housing shortage?
More U.S. cities and states are starting to say “yes, in my backyard” as they struggle to meet the housing needs of growing populations. 

The “YIMBY” movement is a political effort to tackle the country’s housing shortage by increasing the housing supply with strategies like changing zoning codes and other regulations that limit home density. The United States is millions of homes short of what’s needed to meet demand, according to the national nonprofit group “Up for Growth.”  

Minneapolis resident Bernice Duncan has been searching for a new home with more space for more than five years.  The telehealth professional works from home in a cramped two-bedroom apartment she shares with her two adult sons.

“Everybody is not able to move freely, like you would in a in a house or, you know, having your own office space,” said Duncan.

During the years she’s been looking, property values have soared. With a $1,600 monthly housing budget, she says she’s been priced out of the market.

“It’s been a struggle,” Duncan said. “As the economy continues to grow, your paycheck don’t,” she added. “You’re not going to pay less than $2,000.” 

Saying “yes” to more housing

Twin-Cities YIMBY was formed in 2023 to advocate for policies that will generate more affordable housing options for people like Duncan. The group supports the elimination of zoning restrictions to allow for more home density across the Minneapolis area. 

“In the past five years, our median housing price has increased by $100,000, which is a huge increase” said Paige Kahle, a realtor who founded Twin Cities YIMBY along with colleagues Nichole Hayden and Meghan Howard. 

YIMBYs have been building a coalition of pro-housing advocates across the country to counter those who say “not in my back yard,” known as NIMBYs.

“I think it’s getting easier. But literally when you go to the local meetings, the city council meetings, planning commission meetings, there’s still NIMBYs that are very loud and very organized and often kind of angry because they don’t want this kind of housing near them,” said Kahle.

But without a plan to bring housing costs down, Kahle says the shortage is hurting home buyers and renters alike.

“They’re paying 50% of their income, 60% of their income on housing, which just isn’t sustainable,” she said.  ”We need more housing and we need it quickly,” said Kahle. “Traditionally, how we’ve addressed the housing crisis is through subsidies, massive subsidies to bring down the cost of housing for folks. But there just aren’t enough subsidies in the world to do that. So, we really need to look at these other mechanisms to increase the density and lower the cost of housing.”

Minneapolis 2040: The city’s plan

Addressing these concerns is the goal of the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Passed in 2018, the ambitious bipartisan bill implemented historic zoning reforms to increase the number of available housing units including: 
- The elimination of single-family-only zoning to permit build duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes in all neighborhoods. 
- Height minimums for new residential buildings in high-density zones. 
- The elimination of minimum parking requirements for new housing developments. 
The plan has faced opposition from some homeowners who argue that increased density could undermine the character and charm of single-family neighborhoods.

“The 2040 Plan will hurt the uniqueness and architectural heritage of many neighborhoods,” said one opponent during a 2018 City Planning Commission meeting. 

Implementation of the plan was paused in 2022 after environmental groups filed a lawsuit arguing the plan may have severe unintended consequences to the environment. In May, a state appeals court ruled to lift an injunction on the plan, and just last month the Minnesota State Supreme Court denied a petition for further review of the objections, clearing the way for the plan to continue.

“People want a place that they can live, [where] they can afford to raise their family, that’s safe and affordable. So, it’s really been part of the … regional conversation as well as the national conversation,” said Alene Tchourumoff of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve.

Over the next decade, the Minneapolis Fed is using multiple data sources to track the economic impact of these changes made as part of the 2040 plan.

“We really wanted to have a deeper understanding of what the effects of the policy change would be, recognizing the fact that these important policy changes in housing often take a long time to actually manifest,” said Tchourumoff.

There is some promising early data. According to a report by the Pew Charitable Trust, between 2017 and 2022, nearly 21,000 new units were permitted in Minneapolis — most in buildings with 20 or more units. In that same time, rents in the city rose by just 1% — far less than the rest of Minnesota, which saw a 14% rent increase.  

Deregulation across the country

As Minnesota lawmakers consider expanding these rezoning reforms statewide, other states such as California, Oregon, Massachusetts and Montana have already implemented similar YIMBY policies. 

The changes in Minneapolis are already making a difference for residents like Rebecca Hemmans, who became a first-time homeowner at 67 after viewing nearly 100 listings.  

“I had this dream about living in a single-family home and sitting on my porch with my table of lemonade and glasses for the neighbors to wave at,” Hemmans said.  

To accommodate her budget, she chose to adjust her dream — instead of a single-family home, she purchased an attached townhome, and she’s happy with the compromise. 

“I don’t have to check with the landlord to say, “Hey, can I do this or do that?” she said. “If I want to paint my walls orange, I can do that.”

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Ash-har Quraishi

Ash-har Quraishi is a national consumer correspondent based in Chicago. He is an Emmy Award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of local, national, international and investigative reporting experience. His work has been featured on CNN, Al Jazeera, The PBS NewsHour, A&E, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and in The New York Times.
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September 18, 2024
Developer sues town for stalling $154M TOD project | Long Island Business News

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A Long Island developer has filed a lawsuit against the Town of Hempstead for not acting on its application to build a $154 million transit-oriented mixed-use building in Inwood.

Two affiliates of Commack-based Heatherwood Communities LLC filed the Article 78 lawsuit last week in Nassau County State Supreme Court citing the town’s failure to comply with the process established in the Transit-Oriented Development District that Hempstead Town enacted in May 2019 for areas of North Lawrence and Inwood.

Enabled by the town’s rezoning, Heatherwood has invested more than $30 million in property acquisitions and other costs since the end of 2021 towards its proposed project that would bring a five-story, 391,241-square-foot building to a 5.3-acre site on Lawrence Avenue between Wanser Avenue and Bayview Avenue, less than 100 feet from the Lawrence Long Island Rail Road station.

Street view of the Inwood development site. / Courtesy of Heatherwood Communities

The Heatherwood project, which would replace a school bus depot, aims to bring 309 rental apartments over about 20,900 square feet of ground floor commercial space and a garage parking lot to accommodate 427 vehicles.

The town’s TOD District covers about 11.7 acres near the Lawrence LIRR station and about 9 acres near the Inwood LIRR station. The zoning allowed for the redevelopment of light industrial and manufacturing uses in the area to encourage a “mix of housing and commercial uses” that will “sustain vibrant flourishing hamlet centers,” according to the town’s plan. The TOD District also required that 20 percent of the housing be priced affordably for people making up to 60 percent of the area median income and rents no higher than 30 percent of a renter’s income, to which the Heatherwood project adheres.

The Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency approved economic incentives for Heatherwood’s Inwood project in Dec. 2021. But even though the town’s IDA supported the plan and Heatherwood submitted its building permit application in Feb. 2022, the developer says the town still refused to act on it. In addition, the town failed to form the Design Review Committee that was supposed to review and fast track projects that complied with the new zoning.

Instead, the Hempstead Town Board enacted a temporary building moratorium for the new Inwood and North Lawrence zoning areas in Sept. 2022 and extended it twice.

The town board cited concerns that the requisite environmental impact statements conducted to establish the new zoning districts, and previously accepted by the town, failed to take a “hard look” at potential negative impacts on infrastructure, transportation, public safety and special districts. The board said the moratorium would give it time to consider “potential amendments and/or alternatives” to the zoning districts, according to the resolution, to “insure the health, safety and welfare” of the town’s residents.

Though the moratorium, which wound up lasting 20 months, finally ended in June 2024, the Heatherwood application has yet to advance. In fact, as the moratorium expired, the town board introduced a resolution that would rescind all the new zoning districts it had created for Inwood and North Lawrence five years ago. That resolution is still pending.

A town spokesman has yet to respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, Heatherwood’s lawsuit claims that the town’s “delays and dilatory tactics” have caused the developer tremendous financial hardship. The lawsuit, filed by attorney Daniel Shapiro of Uniondale-based Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, who represents the petitioner, seeks to compel the town to form the Design Review Committee to review Heatherwood’s application and issue a building permit for the project.

“Heatherwood fully expects that the court will compel the town to form the Design Review Committee and act on our long pending, fully compliant, applications, thereby unlocking new housing stock and the long-awaited revitalization around the LIRR station in Lawrence,” the developer said in a written statement.

David Winzelberg

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September 17, 2024
California firm produces 3D-printed tiny homes using waste plastic

SAN JOSE — California has plenty of problems including a lack of housing and an excess of plastic waste material.

Now a Southern California company has combined those two challenges into an innovative way to create more homes that was on display in San Jose Sunday.

Each time the “TinyFest” small home expo returns to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds it seems to take on more relevance. Event CEO Renee Seevers said the show got rolling by introducing people to what micro dwellings have to offer.

“One of the big goals that TinyFest had was to normalize and expose people to these because they were just such an unknown — ‘What is that little thing I see on TV?’” Seevers recalled. “Now we’re really focusing on teaching them how accessible they can be financially and how you can place them in more places now.”

As accessory dwelling units (ADU) have grown in popularity, there have been lots of innovations but one of the most revolutionary is what’s coming from a company called Azure Printed Homes.

“This is a 180 sq. ft. home that we were able to print in 24 hours,” said Azure’s sales manager Jeremy Peyton.

At its Southern California factory, a giant 3D printer arm suspended over a rotating carousel extrudes a constant bead of molten plastic to create a solid shell for the structure. With no seams, it’s leak-proof and insect-proof and, to make it bigger, you simply connect more sections together.

“The material we’re using is recycled plastic,” Payton said. “Think food containers, plastic water bottles mixed with a polymer resin with fiberglass to give it that structural integrity.”

The company estimates a studio apartment on display was created using the equivalent of 150,000 recycled plastic bottles. Inside it contains a living space including a small kitchen area and a bathroom with full-size commode and shower. By eliminating the high cost of lumber and on-site construction, the price for the single unit is only $35,000.

At the show, Susan Dold was looking for ideas for an ADU she wants to build on her Lake County property.

“I was going to buy one of those steel cargo containers and build my own,” she said. “I priced out all the materials and labor and these prices are much less than what I could build it for. So, I think I’m going to buy one.”

It’s a compelling proposition: Construction costs decreased while also addressing the shortage of housing and a glut of plastic waste.

“We’re truly in a homeless crisis right now and we also have this incredible source of plastic,” Peyton said. “Unfortunately, there’s 54 million tons of plastic that’s wasted each year in the U.S. and we’re only recycling four percent of it.”

Customers can design a ADU at the company’s online order site and the completed structure will be delivered anywhere in the country within four weeks time.

If necessity is the mother of invention, the need to construct more housing and produce less waste may be giving birth to a whole new world of innovation.

“We’re growing quickly. The scalability is there,” Peyton said. “We’re keeping up with demand. I believe it is the future.”

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September 15, 2024
Affordable housing on church parking lots? A new law makes it easier to build

The Rev. Paul Anthony Daniels knows the names and life stories of the people who sleep in their cars near St. Mary, a century-old church in Palms.

In the past, homeless people have spent the night in St. Mary’s Sunday school room.

So it wasn’t a huge leap for Daniels to think about building affordable housing on the church property.

A place to sleep, bathe and cook “provides a basic dignity” that can turn around someone’s life and also help the neighborhood, said Daniels.

“The unhoused are a part of this community,” he added. “Not only in the sense that we shelter them, but also in the sense that they live literally around the property.”

Across Los Angeles, some religious leaders are sizing up their own properties, encouraged by new legislation making it easier to develop the land.

A California law that went into effect Jan. 1 allows affordable housing projects on property owned by churches, temples, mosques and other religious institutions to bypass an extensive review process and to be built in single-family neighborhoods. The city of Los Angeles is considering even more exemptions.

An aerial view of St. Mary in Palms, center, where some of the land owned by the church may eventually be leased for affordable housing.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

In L.A., which has little vacant land, sky-high rents and a homeless population that topped 45,000 at last count, affordable housing proponents view religious institutions — often land-rich but cash-poor — as an untapped resource.

For religious leaders, building their own housing could be a way to fulfill their missions of helping needy people. And with many congregations shrinking as Americans become less religious, revenue from the developments would help make up for dwindling collection boxes.

But some real estate experts question whether many religious organizations will ultimately seek to build, considering the buy-in required from their members and governing boards. Years of construction near their sanctuaries could be a deterrent, as could opposition from neighbors.

Some cities, including Chino, Rancho Palos Verdes, Santa Clarita and Thousand Oaks, opposed the new state law as it was being debated in Sacramento. Then-Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse said it would strip local governments of their power to control development, “overriding carefully crafted, locally informed plans.”

Leaders at St. Mary, an Episcopal church in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, are in the early stages of studying the idea. The small congregation is close-knit, with a few dozen people attending a typical Sunday service in the diminutive, brown-shingled church. An affordable housing project would enrich church coffers, probably through leasing fees paid by the developer.

The St. Mary property includes two main buildings, a house and six parking spaces on a narrow strip of land in a neighborhood of apartment buildings. Daniels, who has led St. Mary since 2022, said it’s too soon to say where on the property the new housing would go.

The Rev. Paul Anthony Daniels, the rector of St. Mary in Palms.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

In South Los Angeles, with its abundance of historically Black churches, many congregations are still reeling from the pandemic and a decline in attendance.

Regina Fair, a board member at Bethel AME-Los Angeles, said her church draws a few hundred people on Sundays but has cut back to a single sermon.

Like other churches, Bethel AME, which was founded in 1921, relied on livestreaming during the pandemic lockdown and uses social media to reach younger people. That all means fewer dollars in the collection plate.

“People became OK with doing church in their home, on their couch,” Fair said. “And when you’re not in the church, it makes a big impact on the giving.”

Bethel AME, which faces a stretch of South Western Avenue lined with businesses and apartment buildings, has embarked on a multiyear plan to develop affordable housing on its parking lot.

The 53-unit project, which benefited from city rules intended to fast-track affordable housing, will cater to some of the homeless men who sleep in the church on cots during the winter. The church also plans to build housing on two nearby parcels it owns.

Logos Faith Housing, which is co-developing the property, was started by a pastor to help churches build affordable housing. Bethel is leasing the land to a collection of backers in what the church’s leader, the Rev. Kelvin T. Calloway, describes as a “perfect model” to bring in revenue over a long period.

Calloway has seen gentrification change other neighborhoods in South L.A., leaving fewer worshipers in church pews. That isn’t happening much yet in Bethel AME’s neighborhood of Manchester Square, but “it’s a real possibility,” he said.

Pastor Martin Porter, managing partner of Logos Faith Development LLC, a real estate development company focused on partnering with religious entities, on the parking lot of Bethel AME Church in Los Angeles.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

“Christianity is in crisis,” said Logos founder Pastor Martin Porter, who leads Quinn African Methodist Episcopal in Moreno Valley. “You’re seeing a lot of empty pews. The natural question is: What do we do with excess property that’s not being used?”

Bethel AME didn’t need the new state law, sponsored by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), to develop its property.

But in L.A., at least 600 sites owned by faith-based groups in single-family neighborhoods are now eligible to build affordable housing, according to the city Planning Department. City officials couldn’t provide information about whether any applications have been filed under the law in the last eight months.

Wiener predicted it will take a few years for a substantial number of projects to launch — particularly as religious institutions figure out how to approach the opportunity.

“They’re typically not major financial players,” he told The Times. “They’re a church or synagogue, not a development company.”

“This is a big deal,” said Pastor John Oh, project manager of faith in housing at L.A. Voice, a community organization that supported the law.

Oh sees it as a potential “domino” that could lead to more zoning changes in single-family neighborhoods, which have long been treated by political leaders as off-limits for multi-unit development.

The city of L.A.’s planning department has put forward a version that, unlike Wiener’s law, does not require paying construction workers prevailing wages, or, on larger projects, providing them with healthcare.

The proposal, which is expected to come before the City Council in the next six months, is meant to appease affordable housing developers who say that the higher wages and benefits can add 30% to their costs.

Labor unions, including the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, are opposed.

Pete Rodriguez, the brotherhood’s western district vice president, called the proposal “outrageous” and suggested it could worsen the homelessness crisis by impoverishing workers.

“When will the city of L.A. realize that so many of our problems, from homelessness to budget deficits, are caused by the simple fact that too many Angelenos cannot make ends meet?” he said.

Wiener declined to comment on the city’s proposal. He said his law prioritizes protections for construction workers, who can be targets of wage theft.

Some development experts privately question whether religious entities in single-family neighborhoods will want to build affordable housing, in the face of possible resistance.

In Laguna Beach, some residents are protesting a church’s plans to build affordable housing under Wiener’s law. A petition against the development on the property of Neighborhood Congregational Church has collected about 1,500 signatures.

“It affects the entire community by altering the neighborhood’s character and exacerbating existing issues such as traffic congestion and parking shortages,” the petition said.

But Bishop Lovester Adams, who heads Greater New St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church in a single-family residential area in South L.A., isn’t shying away. He called Wiener’s law and the city proposal “a game changer.”

Adams, who is also a senior associate at Logos Development, said he can’t afford to build housing on his church’s parking lot at 36th and Crawford streets unless the city passes the labor exemption.

The church, which dates to the 1960s, is nestled between homes and duplexes. Church leaders regularly give out food and toys to needy residents.

Attendance has fallen since the pandemic, Adams said. Sunday services draw 50 to 70 people, who fill fewer than half the seats. Some older people stay away because of concerns about COVID-19.

Adams said he wants veterans to live in the new housing: “There is a great need there.”

IKAR CEO Melissa Balaban stands in the foundation’s parking lot where affordable housing will be developed in Los Angeles.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

On South Fairfax Avenue in Mid-Wilshire, the Jewish congregation IKAR is building an affordable housing complex for formerly homeless senior citizens on its parking lot.

The project was built through Mayor Karen Bass’ Executive Directive 1, which fast-tracks affordable housing, said IKAR executive director Melissa Balaban. State legislation pushed by IKAR reduced the amount of required parking.

Balaban said IKAR isn’t relying on the project, which is being funded by a nonprofit developer, to generate revenue for the congregation.

“My hope is that what we’re doing isn’t just going to provide 60 homes but hopefully inspire other faith-based communities,” she said.

In Palms, St. Mary member Julia Bergstrom, 72, is enthusiastic about the idea of affordable housing on the church property.

She has noticed the number of people living in RVs rise and fall, and she finds the years-long wait for Section 8 housing vouchers to be “immoral.”

While she worries about changes to the “very beautiful little church” she has attended since 2008, “it doesn’t stop me, and it doesn’t make me sad about the whole thing,” she said.

Dakota Smith

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September 1, 2024
Final vote on Citizens Insurance rate hike proposal

FLORIDA — More than a million Floridians could face a major increase in the price of their homeowners insurance.

Citizens Property Insurance proposed raising its rates by about 14% to reduce the amount of insurance holders by the end of the year — which could increase average prices for policy holders by more than $500.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation will meet Monday to decide on whether to approve the proposed rate hike for all personal lines policies.

That includes homeowners, condominium unit owners, renters, and mobile homes.

Some insurance companies left the state as rates soared, forcing people to use Citizens — the state insurer of last resort.

The company says the new rate would be within 20% of private carriers, making some people no longer eligible for Citizens, which would reduce financial risks.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the state has the highest rates in the nation at nearly $11,000 a year — that’s four times the national average.

“Secondarily, as those prospective homeowners are facing an even tighter challenge, you look at, say, pre-pandemic monthly costs have more than doubled in just about any fashion. So this only exacerbates the challenges that prospective homeowners face,” said Colin Rice, a Land Use & Real Estate Attorney with Older Lundy.

The Citizens’ governing board passed the recommendation in June, and it now needs approval by state regulations.

If approved, the rates would go into effect for renewal policies after Jan. 1, 2025.

Destiny Wiggins

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August 26, 2024
These childhood best friends are trying to survive together in Denver after their lives derailed
Michael Webb and James Peters, best friends since third grade, sit on their e-bikes and lean against the brick wall of a vacant storefront.

They glare at the Capitol Hill King Soopers where, they say, workers just kicked them out.

“I’m too depressed to talk,” Peters says.

The whole ordeal started at 6:07 a.m., the day before, on a Monday. Peters had put all of his change — all the money he has in this world — into the store’s Coinstar machine.

The machine printed out a receipt, and he took it to the counter to collect his $111.

“But it was 6:07 a.m., and they don’t cash the vouchers until 8 a.m.,” Peters says.

He had a court appointment in Aurora that morning, so he left the store and came back on Tuesday with Webb. But when they arrived, a worker explained that they were too late. They should have come back on Monday — receipts need to be redeemed the day they’re printed.

The men felt the store was robbing them of $111 they desperately needed, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Peters’ temper boiled, and the store employees kicked him out for good.

Staff at the store declined to comment on this story.

“They robbed my brother,” says Webb, who called Coinstar on behalf of his friend. “I was on hold forever, but when they answered this super nice woman gave me a code and just made sure the transaction was right.”

Since Peters had been 86’d from the store, Webb went into King Soopers with the receipt and the code. Six people, he says, surrounded him to kick him out. He ignored them and walked to the counter.

“The poor man working there was going, ‘Oh my God, this guy’s back,’” Webb says. “But I gave him the code, and we got the money.”

The $111 was in their hands again. To them, it was a fortune. And it was so little at the same time.

“How is this all the money I’ve got in the world,” wonders Peters.

Not that long ago, Peters was thriving. Now, he’s crashed.

Peters is a master tiler and the owner of Trinity Tiling. For 19 years, he’s done custom tiling jobs for Denver homeowners.

Owning his own business, he made more money than he needed.

“Two, three years ago, I was renting a house out in Aurora in Southshore — $3,300 a month,” he says. “And that was chump change to me at the time — like easy. I had 10 grand for first and last month’s rent and a deposit. I was living like a baller, as they would say, and now I find myself all the way at the bottom.”

When he had the money, he spent it furiously. Then, he split with his wife. The pandemic and inflation disrupted the construction industry. Customers quit calling for tiling jobs.

These days, his business hardly earns a dime.

“I bill at $125, and with that, I can barely afford overhead to live in my parents’ basement for free,” Peters says.

His has his belongings locked in a storage unit. A rodent has the full run of the place.

Michael Webb and James Peters stand outside King Soopers in Capitol Hill on August, 20, 2024.
Kyle Harris/Denverite

“It’s in there eating through the golf club bags and eating the seat off my dirt bikes and my boots for my wakeboards and bindings and snowboard boots,” Peters says. “It’s all just trashed.”

For that kind of storage, he pays $400 a month — a bill he’s not been able to afford.

“I’m so broke right now because I haven’t had work,” Peters says. “I can’t even get into my storage unit right now. So it’s like, all my s*** is in the hands of God — me getting money before the first of next month. Is all my s*** going to be gone? Or am I going to live to die another day with that deal?”

Over the years, he’s struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and he recently relapsed after five years of sobriety.

“I don’t even eat anymore,” he says. “I don’t work out anymore. I don’t do s***. Literally, I’m giving up on life. That’s how bad it’s been. I’m still alive, unfortunately, but I almost accomplished my mission the other day with an overdose. But my baby’s mama called 911, and they came and got me and took me to the hospital.”

For the third time in his life, he kicked fentanyl cold turkey, sweating and suffering in his bed alone.

He’s been sober for a week.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Webb says. “I don’t have anybody else.”

Webb, too, has struggled with addiction, though his housing situation has been improving.

When he was 12 years old, he says, he accidentally burned down a post office.

“That pretty much screwed my life up from the get-go,” he says. “Drugs and alcohol happened very early after that.”

He’s lived all over Colorado, from Parker to Castle Rock to Loveland to Fort Collins. But Denver felt most like home, and all his life, he’s wanted to live downtown.

“I always wanted to live downtown, until I was homeless downtown, and that’s not how I wanted to live down here,” he says.

When he was 25 years old, he lived outside under an overhang at the Althea Center for Engaged Spirituality, a church at 13th Avenue and Williams Street.

During the day, he would hide his belongings in a nearby bush while he worked in construction cleanup for $50 a day at Ready Labor. At night, he’d drink at the Satire. Then he’d go back to the church to sleep, hoping his belongings would still be there. Often, they weren’t.
- Homelessness is up in Denver, but fewer people are sleeping outdoors than the year before
Now 38, he’s finally getting his life back together. He’s spent multiple stints in hardscrabble rehabs. He’s relapsed and suffered through withdrawals that led to brutal seizures. He found some stability in the Denver Rescue Mission’s New Life Program, where he stayed sober, kept a job and eventually earned a car upon graduating.

And he recently lived for nine months in a safe-occupancy site, where he slept in a heated tent with a refrigerator. Sure, he was still homeless, but at least he managed to find some stability.

Through government subsidies, he got a RadPower e-bike. Tired of driving, he sold his car and enjoyed cruising through the city. Then he crashed into a fire hydrant going 18 miles an hour and broke his leg — a tibial plateau fracture. He received 50 staples in his leg and needed to use a wheelchair.

In the spring, Webb connected with a volunteer at the Saint Francis Center who helped him find a studio at the Colburn Hotel and Apartments, the housing above the classic Denver dive Charlie Brown’s.

For the first time in his adult life, Webb is living near downtown, in a home in Capitol Hill. Peters moved his belongings in for him. Webb used crutches to get to his fourth-floor apartment. Without Peters, he doesn’t know how he would have pulled off the move.

“Man, he’s done a lot for me,” Webb says. “If I didn’t have him, I wouldn’t be around. I’d be gone. Not gone from Denver, gone from the world. It’s good to have a friend, a brother.”

Webb says Denver has programs that helped him out along the way.

“When I first became homeless, when I was 25, I really dug into resources and really researched,” Webb says.

There are many homeless people who go without food, and as he sees it, that’s entirely unnecessary.

“There’s all kinds of places that give out food and stuff,” he says.
- Aurora booted hundreds from an apartment building. We followed one mother of three as she figured out what to do next
Medicaid saved him when he had to go into treatment for his alcoholism and when he broke his leg on his bike.

“If you’re homeless, you can get Medicaid,” Webb says. “And Medicaid is the best insurance that you can possibly have. I’ve had Medicaid. It’s saved my a** multiple times through alcoholism. I’ve been to treatment centers. Medicaid has saved my butt with medical stuff.”

Webb says the investment in his health is ultimately good for society.

“I’ve done a lot of work through my years,” he says. “I feel like I’ve worked enough to feel like I’m not ripping off the taxpayer. I pay taxes every year, so, I’m damned grateful for it … Denver’s been pretty terrible, but pretty good to me, honestly. Like, when it comes down to it, Denver’s been wonderful to me. I mean, I’m lucky to be where I’m at.”

But Medicaid hasn’t worked for Peters. His prior income has disqualified him from having the coverage.

Peters broke his leg in a motorcycle accident five years back.

It took him a year, walking on his broken leg, to finally seek treatment.

The doctors asked him, “How did you do that?”

“Drugs,” he replied.

He felt like he didn’t have any other choice and says he couldn’t afford “millions of dollars in medical debt.”

“You gotta do what you gotta do,” Webb says.

Michael Webb and James Peters, friends since third grade, stand by their e-bikes in Capitol Hill, August, 20, 2024.
Kyle Harris/Denverite

“I have two abscessed teeth,” Peters says. “And I can’t get approved for Medicaid because of my taxes in prior years.”

He reaches into the pocket of his cargo short looking for his Orajel, and realizes it’s missing. He can barely open his mouth.

“This guy’s worked his whole life, hard work,” Webb says. “He’s the hardest worker … It sucks. His teeth are blowing up, and he can’t get them fixed right now. There’s a lot wrong with this place. It’s hard to keep happy. It’s hard to smile all the time. It’s hard to be nice.”

But being nice matters to both men. It’s something they see less and less of in Denver since the pandemic.

As they speak about how the city’s becoming tense, a man at a bus stop down the street screams at a woman in her car. He’s mad she’s blocking a bus that’s nowhere in sight.

Even though Peters acknowledges the woman is parked illegally, he is appalled by the man’s behavior.

“Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt,” Peters says. “Be nice, too. You don’t know what they’re going through. They could be going through something 10 times worse than what you’re going through. They could have lost a parent this week and a parent last week. You don’t know. Be nice. Everyone doesn’t have to be so high-strung.”

Peters is strong. He knows how to defend himself and has saved Webb from the sort of scraps people struggling with addiction find themselves in all too often.

But, these days, Peters avoids confrontations. Even with the King Soopers workers who refused to give them their money, he and Webb helped each other stay grounded, he says. They worked to keep their cool as best they could, even as they felt robbed.

“Everyone looks at you like you want to fight,” Peters says. “It’s like, ‘I’ve got no interest in fighting. I want to buy donuts for my daughter and go back home.’”
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August 21, 2024
Denverites will vote on the mayor’s affordable housing sales tax

Mayor Mike Johnston’s affordable housing sales tax is headed to voters this November.

City Council approved a ballot measure that, if passed by voters, would dedicate $100 million a year to affordable housing using a .5 percent sales tax. Council voted 9-to-4 on Monday in favor of sending the sales tax to the voters, despite lingering concerns over a lack of detail in the ultimate plan.

The sales tax will sunset after 40 years, a last-minute amendment passed 12-to-1 by City Council on Monday over fears of overreach and an inability to know what the housing market will look like decades in the future.

“In the early 2000s we allowed developers to take advantage of our upcoming communities, displacing me, displacing my family, my community,” said Councilmember Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, who voted yes on the measure. “We needed to take control of the issue long, long ago. We are trying to pick up the pieces.”

In a statement Monday, Johnston called putting the sales tax on the ballot “an important step forward to ensuring all Denverites can live and thrive in our city.”

“We are thrilled and grateful to see City Council officially put Affordable Denver in the voters’ hands,” Johnston said.

Councilmembers Flor Alvidrez, Kevin Flynn, Stacie Gilmore and Amanda Sawyer voted no on the measure. They had concerns that the ballot measure, with its numerous amendments, was half-baked without a clear plan for the money.

Gilmore said she asked the Mayor’s office to hold the plan until the spring to work out more of the details.

“I’m still going to be a no on referring it to the ballot because I take my responsibility of good governance really seriously, and I can’t explain what this is going to look like to my constituents,” she said.

The plan, titled Affordable Denver, was designed to create or preserve 44,000 units of income-restricted housing over the next decade.

Johnston pitched the measure in early July. He was flanked by a who’s-who of community organizers and nonprofit leaders across the city, along with Councilmembers Shontel Lewis, Sarah Parady and Darrell Watson.

The mayor had just under two months to convince City Council to put the measure on the ballot.

“Denver can’t afford to wait,” Johnston said when announcing the campaign.

His hope is the tax would create affordability and prevent displacement, even as Denver’s economy grows.

The new sales tax would build housing for teachers, waiters, firefighters, and other workers and middle-class people who have been struggling to afford the city. It would also nearly double the amount of housing Johnston pledged to create in his campaign.

“What we know is if we do nothing, 10 years from now, all of those Denverites will be gone,” he said. “They will have been pushed out or priced out or moved out to someplace else. And that is a future we refuse to accept.”

And Denver really needs affordable housing.

An annual report released last week found that overall homeless in Denver and the surrounding metro area rose by 10 percent compared to last year.

The sales tax would grow housing, not pay for homelessness services. But in interviews with Denverite, nonprofit leaders attributed the persistent rise in Denver’s homelessness to a continued lack of affordable housing in the area.

Affordable housing is something voters care about as well.

In the spring, Colorado Public Radio and other media outlets surveyed Coloradans statewide through the Voter Voices survey. Affordability is a top concern among residents of all political persuasions.

At its State of the City event, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce members identified housing affordability, along with childcare, as two of the area’s greatest needs.

When Denverite interviewed more than 100 residents about their big concerns in the city, housing affordability topped the list.

And a recent bipartisan poll from the Colorado Health Foundation found that more than 70 percent of Denverites fear the lack of affordability will force them to leave Colorado. Nine in ten parents worry their children won’t be able to afford life here.

Despite the widespread belief that Denver lacks affordable housing, not everyone has bought that Johnston’s plan is the right one.

Some critics have argued the tax is regressive, putting the burden of funding the new housing on working people who need their money.

Voters will already be deciding on a .34 percent sales tax to fund Denver Health, the city’s safety net hospital that has faced huge funding shortages in recent years.

That’s on top of the numerous other sales tax increases Denver voters have approved in recent years, amounting to a 30 percent rise in sales taxes since 2018. One of those taxes passed in 2020 was specifically aimed at addressing homelessness.

“How many new added fees and tax increases does it take to make us affordable?” Councilmember Kevin Flynn asked in a committee meeting last month. “That strikes me as counterintuitive. And so I wonder, where does it end?”

Business leaders have been split on the solution. Some are eager for the government to take action and others arguing the city needs to slow down and roll out the plan with more details before taking it to the voters.

Other Councilmembers raised concerns that Affordable Denver doesn’t have enough of the details worked out.

Last week, Councilmembers brought a dozen amendments to the plan. They passed eight of them, including one that would add more Council oversight over how the money is spent.

Councilmembers passed even more amendments Monday, including a plan for how to prioritize using the funds and a compromise with the Mayor’s office to end the sales tax after 40 years.

“At $100 million a year for 40 years, that’s $4 billion, so if we can’t solve this in a generation and a half and $4 billion, we can’t solve this,” said amCouncilmember Amanda Sawyer, who brought forth the amendment.

Another amendment brought by Councilmember Shotel Lewis restricts portions of the funds to housing for people making 80 percent of the area median income, or $102,650 for a family of four in 2024.

The change would allow for mixed-income developments with an average of 100 percent area median income, or $130,400 for a family of four. The bill also includes exemptions for homeowners and buyers making up to 120 percent of the area median income, or $156,480 for a family of four.

That amendment passed 9 to 4, with some Councilmembers concerned that making the fund too restrictive could have unintended consequences decades in the future.

Despite concerns about the details, a majority of Councilmembers decided the housing crisis is too dire to wait.

Voters will make the final call on the sales tax in the Nov. 5 general election.

That’s along with a slew of other ballot measures, including the separate .35 percent sales tax hike to fund Denver Health. Some Councilmembers said they were concerned the affordable housing sales tax could affect the passage of the Denver Health sales tax.

Still, even the Councilmembers who voted yes on passing the measure to the voters expressed concerns about the lack of detail and quick timeline for the policy. They suggested that even if the voters approve the sales tax, more work lies ahead.

“I will support it going to the but we have to be honest, good intention exists, but the clarity and the specificity doesn’t,” Councilmember Jamie Torres said. “I will support it. I will work to get that clarity. And if it’s not there, I’m here for three more years in this term, then I don’t think we keep this fund.”

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August 19, 2024
Brookwood Partners’ Innovative Solutions for School Districts Maximize Educational Funding

Transforming Surplus Property Into Thriving Communities and Addressing the Housing Shortage

OAKLAND, Calif., August 8, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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Brookwood Partners, a leading real estate development advisory firm, is re-envisioning the way school districts approach land use and funding. With a focus on school districts throughout California, Brookwood Partners leverages its private sector experience to bring innovative solutions to the public sector.

Most recently, Brookwood Partners, working with Jefferson Union High School District (“JUHSD”), received project approvals to provide 1,113 new multifamily residential units, including 150 affordable units, 14,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving retail, and community parks and trails on 22 acres of surplus school property. The urban infill redevelopment project located in Daly City known as the Serramonte Del Rey Neighborhood also includes a 122-unit JUHSD faculty and staff housing project that Brookwood Partners completed in 2022.

Brookwood Partners brings a fresh approach and decades of experience to lead the way in transforming underutilized and surplus property into thriving communities. The firm specializes in urban design, development, and finance, enabling it to efficiently analyze project issues, communicate key considerations to district leaders, and maximize the potential of surplus property and underutilized real estate assets for educational institutions.

The chronic housing shortage throughout California has put immense pressure on school districts to maximize the value held in their real estate assets. As trusted advisors, Brookwood Partners guides school districts through the process of design, entitlements, and redevelopment to unlock the full potential of surplus and underutilized real estate assets.

Chris White, principal of Brookwood Partners, emphasizes the importance of its solutions stating, “Districts throughout the state are realizing the necessity of this type of solution and demand is growing. Our expertise in this area sets us apart as one of the few companies with a proven track record of success.”

Brookwood Partners’ collaboration with Jefferson Union High School District has been fully supported by both the certificated and classified staff, and highlights Brookwood’s commitment to creating sustainable communities that support education.

Alan Katz, principal of Brookwood Partners, emphasizes the specific obstacles that school districts encounter and the importance of partnering with an experienced and knowledgeable firm. He states, “Many school districts face challenges when it comes to addressing how best to utilize their non-academic real estate assets. They may not be fully aware of the available resources, current state housing legislation or specialized experts at Brookwood Partners that can provide professional support. However, our experienced team and innovative solutions can empower these districts to navigate their challenges and find effective strategies to overcome them.”

About Brookwood Partners

Led by Alan Katz and Chris White, Brookwood Partners specializes in providing real estate strategic advisory and development management services to school districts in California. Visit us on the web at www.brookwood.partners.

Source: Brookwood Partners

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August 8, 2024
Affordable Denver sales tax heads to a City Council vote
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If City Council passes Mayor Mike Johnston’s affordable housing proposal, voters will decide on the new tax in November.
Mayor Mike Johnston and supporters on the steps of the City and County building as he announces a proposed sales tax to fund affordable housing, July 8, 2024.

Kyle Harris/Denverite

In the coming weeks, the full City Council will debate Affordable Denver.

That’s Mayor Mike Johnston’s proposal to raise Denver’s sales tax by .5 percent. The revenue would raise $100 million a year to fund affordable housing.

The plan would fund the building and preservation of housing for low-income, working-class and middle-class households.

The administration estimates it will raise sales taxes on residents by $2 a week. Items like health supplies, food and feminine hygiene supplies will be exempt from the tax.

“Denver is the best city in America because of our people – the teachers, nurses, firefighters, and working families who built Denver into what it is today,” Mayor Johnston said in a statement. “This proposal is a critical tool to make sure those Denverites can live in the city they serve for generations to come.”

Johnston struggled to get the Affordable Denver sales tax to a City Council vote.

The proposal hit an early snag in July in the Council’s Safety, Housing, Education & Homelessness Committee.

Councilmembers demanded more specifics and clarity. They raised concerns about who the proposal would — and wouldn’t — help.

Some wanted greater support for households making less than 60 percent of the area median income.

District 2 Councilmember Kevin Flynn asked whether Denver can actually tax its way to greater affordability.

For the past two weeks, the Mayor’s Office, sponsoring councilmembers, the Department of Housing Stability and the Department of Finance have all been hammering out details and addressing concerns.

Their work has been urgent since the final deadline to refer a measure to the voters is rapidly approaching.

The council committee unanimously supported the Affordable Denver sales tax.

On Aug. 7, the committee met again on the issue and unanimously sent the proposal to a full City Council vote.

At-large member Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, District 10 member Chris Hinds, Flynn, District 11 member Stacie Gilmore, District 5 member Amanda Sawyer, Council President and District 1 member Amanda Sandoval, and District 3 member Jamie Torres all voted to push the plan forward.

“Creating more affordable housing is one of the top priorities I hear from constituents,” said Sandoval in a statement. “I’m proud to work side-by-side with my colleagues on Council to create strong, meaningful change that will make a difference in the lives of Denverites for generations to come.”

Affordable housing continues to be a pressing concern for Denverites.

According to the Colorado Health Foundation’s bipartisan Pulse poll, the cost of living is the dominant concern among residents.

To push the proposal, the Johnston administration secured endorsements from more than 100 individuals and community groups. Those span from Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.

“As a coalition of over 20 Denver Metro Area affordable housing providers working across the housing continuum from homelessness to homeownership, we at the Neighborhood Development Collaborative know that flexible funding for diverse housing needs is vital to preventing displacement and homelessness while supporting homeowners and renters,” wrote Jonathan Cappelli, executive director of Neighborhood Development Collaborative in a letter to City Council. “NDC’s member organizations support this ordinance because it can meet these needs at a scale that will make a difference.”

What’s next?

The full City Council will consider Affordable Denver with a first reading on Monday, Aug. 12.

Council will likely vote on Monday, Aug. 19.

If City Council votes in favor of the plan, it will refer the issue to voters on the Nov. 5 ballot.

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August 7, 2024
Healey signs $5.1B housing bond bill

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey signed a $5.1 billion bond bill Tuesday aimed at boosting the state’s dwindling housing stock, but critics say the plan will do little to help struggling renters and people now at risk of losing their homes.

The measure, approved on the final day of formal legislative sessions, includes a mix of bonding, policy changes, tax breaks and other incentives to help spur the much-needed development of new homes.

Healey, a first-term Democrat who has made housing a key part of her legislative agenda, described the measure as the “most ambitious” in state history to address what she called the state’s “toughest” challenge.

“The Affordable Homes Act creates homes for every kind of household, at every stage of life, and unlocks the potential in our neighborhoods,” Healey said in a statement. “Today we are taking an unprecedented step forward in building a stronger Massachusetts where everyone can afford to live.”

Under the plan, at least $2 billion will be devoted to the rehabilitation of more than 43,000 public housing units, with 25% of the money dedicated to preserving housing for those with low incomes.

The bill also calls for diverting $800 million to the state’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve affordable housing for households whose incomes are not more than 110% of area median income.

Among the policy initiatives in the bill is a proposal to authorize accessory dwelling units equal to or less than 900 square feet to be built by-right in single-family zoning districts in all communities.

The plan expands funding for the state’s Community Investment Tax Credit Program, which funds community development corporations that partner with nonprofits to build affordable housing across the state.

Under the tax credit program, donations to community development corporations that qualify are eligible to receive a 50% refundable tax credit.

The Senate approved the $5.4 billion housing bond bill in May and the House followed in June with a $6.5 billion bill. Differences between the two bills were worked out by a six-member committee, which announced a compromise on the final day of formal sessions.

Lawmakers rejected Healey’s controversial proposal to give communities the authority to add transfer fees from 2% to 5% onto property tax bills to fund affordable housing, which faced opposition from the real estate industry.

Lawmakers also rejected a plan to spend $1 billion to allow the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s water system to be expanded to the Ipswich River Basin, which includes Beverly, Danvers, Ipswich, Middleton, Peabody, Salem and other communities north of Boston.

And some housing advocates say the changes in the new law will do little to help people who are now struggling to pay the rent or facing foreclosure.

“The housing bond bill includes meaningful funding to support public housing and build new affordable housing, but legislators failed to include any tools to help renters who are facing enormous rent hikes and eviction today,” said Carolyn Chou, executive director of the group Homes for All Mass.

Homes for All Mass was pushing for inclusion of a proposal that would allow cities and towns to stabilize rents by pegging increases to the rate of inflation with a cap at 5% and protect tenants by banning no-fault evictions.

“We need strong rent stabilization now to protect people during the decades it will take to make housing more affordable in Massachusetts,” Chou said.

The housing bill was a top priority for Healey and other Beacon Hill leaders, who are trying to spur more home building amid a shrinking inventory that is edging first-time buyers out of the market.

The prolonged housing crunch is affecting the state’s economic growth, making it much harder to attract new families and companies, they say.

Massachusetts has some of the highest housing costs and rents in the country. The median price of a single-family home hit a record $609,000 in June, according to real estate industry reports. Meanwhile, single-family home sales were down in June versus the same month last year.

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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August 6, 2024