Today, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced more than $63 million in Excess Sites Local Government Matching Grants (LGMG) to accelerate development of 975 affordable homes across ten projects statewide. By identifying and utilizing excess state properties, California is on track to deliver approximately 5,500 housing units on excess state land, which will help an estimated 13,600 individuals.

“California is using every resource available to address our housing crisis, including utilizing excess state properties to rapidly build more affordable homes,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom. “Our excess land strategy is part of a comprehensive approach that includes unprecedented resources and greater accountability for communities committed to building their fair share of housing.”

In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order calling on HCD and the Department of General Services to address the state’s affordable housing crisis by identifying underutilized state-owned sites for development of affordable housing, taking into account such factors as proximity to job centers, amenities, and public transit.

To support and accelerate implementation of the Governor’s excess sites order, HCD established LGMG to provide grant-based funding to match certain local government funding for selected developers to support predevelopment and development of affordable housing on excess state sites. Today’s awards were matched by more than $80 million from local government partners, highlighting the collaborative nature of the LGMG program.

“The Excess Sites program allows for a unique collaboration with our local government partners, to build affordable housing on underutilized sites and optimize limited fiscal resources through matching grants,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “These sites largely have easy access to transit and proximity to critical amenities, providing Californians with housing stability and connecting them to opportunity.”

Across three rounds of funding, LGMG has awarded a total of $123.5 million in grants to 20 projects being developed on state-owned excess sites, leveraging more than $129 million in local funding and accelerating development of 1,876 affordable homes. This collaboration between the state and local governments significantly expedites delivery of affordable housing across the state to meet the goal of developing 2.5 million new homes by 2030, one million of those affordable at lower income levels.

Today’s LGMG awards include:

• MidPen Housing Corporation received $10 million for the development of a 75-unit affordable housing project located in San Francisco. The project has received more than $20 million in local funding, including an Educator Housing loan from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development. The project will be affordable to households earning between 30% and 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and have an occupancy preference for employees of the San Francisco Unified School District or San Francisco Community College District.
• Eden Housing, Inc. received $8.1 million to accelerate the development of Mulberry Gardens Family, a 150-unit affordable housing project in the City of Riverside. The project is bolstered by more than $10 million in local HOME funding and transportation fee waivers from the City of Riverside. The project aims to provide affordable housing to households earning between 30% and 60% AMI. Out of the 150 units, 76 will include two or three bedrooms. Mulberry Gardens Family is the first phase of a larger 209-unit community that will also include a senior housing project on the same site. The community will have an expansive open space with a children's play area, BBQ stations, picnic areas, and a community garden.
• Clearlake CIC, LP received $10 million for the development of Clearlake Apartments, an 80-unit affordable housing project in the city of Clearlake. The project has been awarded more than $3 million in federal CDBG - Disaster Recovery Multifamily Housing Program funding by the City of Clearlake through HCD. The project aims to develop 80 units that will be affordable to households with earnings between 30% and 60% AMI. Additionally, up to 20 units will be reserved for individuals or families with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The project also will include a community building, playground, and basketball half-court.
• Oak Hill Eden, LP received $1.9 million to construct Oak Hill Eden, which comprises 115 housing units. The project is situated in unincorporated Marin County and has received more than $6 million in local funding from various sources including locally allocated federal funds, the Permanent Local Housing Allocation program, the Marin County Housing Trust Fund, a Marin County Foundation Grant, and county fee waivers. The housing project will feature affordable units for households earning between 30% and 60% AMI. The project will feature a gym and a children's play area. This housing project is part of a larger initiative that aims to develop 250 units, including the Oak Hill Workforce Housing development.
• Education Housing Partners, Inc. received $10 million for the development of Oak Hill Workforce Housing, an affordable housing project comprising 135 units in unincorporated Marin County. The aim of this project is to provide affordable housing to educators who struggle to afford rent in the area. The homes will be available to households earning between 50% and 110% AMI. The project has received more than $21 million in local funding including MCPFA Series B Bonds, Marin County fee waivers, Marin County Housing Trust funds, and a Marin County Foundation Grant. All housing units will give preference to faculty and staff of schools under the Marin County Office of Education and employees of Marin County. Additionally, the project will include a community building, business center, fitness center, and bike parking.
• The Related Companies of California, LLC received nearly $2.1 million to build Alveare Family Housing, a new 105-unit multifamily development in the City of Los Angeles, out of which 60 units are for large families. The project aims to develop affordable homes for households earning between 30% and 60% AMI. This project is one of three phases of a larger 303-unit development, which will also include senior and permanent supportive housing (PSH) phases on the same site.
• The Related Companies of California, LLC received $2.9 million for the construction of Alveare Senior Housing, a new 100-unit senior development in the City of Los Angeles. The project aims to develop affordable homes for households earning between 30% and 60% AMI. The project, which will include a health clinic for residents, is one of the three phases of a larger development that will comprise 303 homes. The other phases will include family and PSH units on the same site.
• The Related Companies of California, LLC received $5 million for Sugar Pine Village Phase 2B, a 60-unit development in the City of South Lake Tahoe. This is the final phase of the Sugar Pine Village project, which will provide a total of 248 affordable homes for households earning between 30% and 80% AMI. The full community will include childcare facilities, green open spaces, and a community building with office space available.
• Jamboree Housing Corporation received $10 million for the development of The Clementine, an 83-unit housing project located in the City of Placerville. The project aims to provide affordable housing for households earning between 30% and 60% AMI. Furthermore, 48 of these units will be specifically designed to accommodate large families. The project will also feature a community kitchen, youth room, playground, and nature trail.
• People's Self-Help Housing Corporation received more than $3.4 million to build Paseo Paloma, a 72-unit multifamily development in the City of Atascadero. The project aims to develop affordable homes for households earning between 30% and 60% AMI. In addition to the housing units, the project will feature a tot lot and basketball court.

Please visit the HCD website for more information.