Huntington Beach is one of a few cities that is weighing the option to purchase its own foreclosed properties, and eventually making them affordable housing.
"'From what I've heard I think it's a positive thing if we can get a house back in circulation,' said Huntington Beach Mayor Keith Bohr. 'They're just there vacant open to vandalism and not maintained. That's not good for anybody.'
Some local real-estate experts think the program is worth considering. However, they question the execution of such a program, wondering whether taxpayers would truly benefit in the long run.
'I think it's a great idea,' said Dennis C. Smith, mortgage broker and co-owner of Stratis Financial in Huntington Beach. 'My concern is they're putting people into homes that can afford to buy them '
He suggested city officials follow Habitat for Humanity's model.
'They get low interest rate loans, the families have to spend so many hours working on the homes (or) if there's some way the city can extract some pound of flesh back to the community,' Smith said.
FULL STORY: Surf City may buy & sell foreclosed homes
Federal Court Dismisses Huntington Beach Housing Lawsuit
A federal judge on November 13 dismissed a lawsuit the Orange County city filed against the state and the Southern California Association of Governments in March in an attempt to exempt itself from state housing laws.
Quantifying the Impact of Pandemic Housing Assistance
The massive federal injection of funding into housing programs has had major impacts on many Americans’ ability to stay housed and out of debt, but fears loom as the end of some funding sources nears.
Energy Reliability Vs. the Environment
A controversial but unanimous vote by California officials last week to keep three older, coastal natural gas power plants operating beyond their termination dates shows that environmental protection takes a back seat to keeping the lights on.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service