News and Press Releases - 2008

Surplus State Properties Now Available for Affordable Housing Projects

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) today announced it has teamed with the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to make it easier to purchase surplus state properties for affordable housing projects. New Web information (http://www.dot.ca.gov/property or http://www.hcd.ca.gov) has been established to assist developers in locating these Caltrans-owned properties.

“This joint effort from Caltrans and HCD is a tremendous step towards expanding the availability of land, which is critical to increasing the supply of affordable housing in California. It’s a great example of how we can make more progress through greater collaboration among our transportation and housing agencies,” Secretary Bonner stated.

Caltrans has been working aggressively to identify and dispose of surplus properties originally acquired as part of transportation projects but are no longer needed for that purpose. Now, these properties can be used to benefit California’s citizens.

“Housing, as well as transportation, is crucial to California’s future,” said Caltrans Director Will Kempton. “It is appropriate that we take advantage of every opportunity to increase the supply of affordable housing.”

"As a result of our collaboration with Caltrans, we are looking forward to more affordable housing throughout the state," said HCD Director Lynn Jacobs. “With the anticipated growth in California, it is essential that state agencies work in partnership to help build California’s vibrant economy.” 

The state's population is expected to grow by 12 million by 2025 - 5 million in the greater Los Angeles area, more than 2 million in the San Diego region and 3.2 million in the 13-county Central Valley.