California has announced that it is scaling up a program to develop underutilized land into affordable housing — the first of its kind in the nation.
The state’s Department of General Services and Department of Housing and Community Development have launched the newly revamped Excess Sites Program, the first housing initiative nationwide to release public land identified as suitable and available to develop into affordable housing.
“California is doing everything we can to give all Californians access to affordable housing as quickly as possible,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
“Today we continue to advance our strategy of transforming underutilized state properties into thriving affordable living communities for Californians.”
The revamped program aims to improve the efficiency and speed with which state land is leased for affordable housing. There are 23 sites now available for development, the statement said.
The changes allow developers to review all sites on the State Excess Sites map simultaneously and submit proposals until an awardable submission is received and a final deadline is set for that specific site.
The announcement builds on a 2019 executive order to prioritize developing underused state lands in order to help scale up the statewide response to a decades-long housing crisis. The order called on HCD and DGS to identify and prioritize excess state-owned property for affordable housing development.
The agencies have now put together nearly 4,300 housing units across 32 projects in various phases of development. The state estimates that the new sites being released have the capacity for at least 2,000 homes to be added as the sites are developed.
“California is committed to continuing to invest in programs that encourage infill development, transforming existing buildings into homes for future generations of Californians,” said Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss.
“The Excess Sites program is a unique tool that allows us to re-envision underutilized state land to build affordable and healthier communities.”
The changes allow developers to review all sites on the State Excess Sites map simultaneously and submit proposals until an awardable submission is received and a final deadline is set for that specific site.
The state has announced a number of recent projects throughout the state as part of its Excess Housing Site program, which include the following regions:
Sacramento, with the April 2023 opening of a 58-unit community that combines housing with commercial space that will also have a job training center; Fresno County, with the Guardian Village development, a 48-unit project built on the former Reedley Armory at 601 East 11th St.; and South Lake Tahoe, with Sugar Pine Village the largest affordable housing project in the region’s history. The community opened 68 units to residents in late 2024, which will eventually grow into a 248-unit community.More information about the new maps and submission processes can be found here.
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