Dive Brief:
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that the state will allocate $107.3 million toward 673 new affordable rental homes that will prioritize Los Angeles County residents displaced by last year’s wildfires.
- The deadly wildfires destroyed or damaged approximately 17,000 homes last January. Since then, less than a dozen homes have been rebuilt, exacerbating the area’s already-prevalent rental housing shortages.
- “More affordable homes across the county means survivors can stay near their schools, jobs, and support systems, and all Angelenos are better able to afford housing in these vibrant communities,” Newsom said in a press release.
Dive Insight:
As of last week, Los Angeles city and county agencies had received 6,191 rebuilding applications. Of those, 2,617 rebuilding permits — 42% — had been issued and 3,487 were under review, according to the state. Reviews are averaging under 30 days, according to Newsom.
The planned affordable housing projects are in the city of Los Angeles, Bellflower, Claremont, Covina, Santa Monica and Pasadena.
“By creating affordable homes in multiple communities across the county, the state is instead relieving the pressure on housing supply without concentrating all new housing in the burn areas,” the state said.
Last year, in an effort to fast-track redevelopment, Newsom issued an executive order to suspend the state’s Environmental Quality Act review and California Coastal Act permitting for reconstruction of properties “substantially damaged” by the fires. The state also suspended new building codes for survivors looking to rebuild.
In September, the state issued nearly $56.9 million for four projects with 301 affordable rental homes in Los Angeles County.
“Los Angeles residents faced a tight rental housing market even before these unprecedented wildfires forced thousands from their homes and compounded the problem,” California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss said in a release. The latest funds “support Los Angeles jurisdictions as they navigate long-term recovery, and these new affordable homes will help nearly a thousand households obtain stable housing,” Moss added.
