MAKING HOUSING AFFORDABLE GLENDALE KEEN ON PROJECTS FOR LOWER-INCOME RESIDENTS.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer GLENDALE Glendale. 1 City (1990 pop. 148,134), Maricopa co., S central Ariz., adjacent to Phoenix; inc. 1910. It is located in a rich agricultural region irrigated by the Salt River project. Glendale has become one of the fastest-growing U.S. - Glendale has become one of the Southland's leading cities in providing below-market housing, aggressively seeking properties for new projects in a built-out city and a hot real estate market. Since its first affordable-housing project for seniors in the late-1970s - Casa de la Paloma on Kenwood Kenwood may refer to: Places:
In the past nine months, the Housing Authority has committed $15 million to affordable-housing plans or projects, and there are at least three developments in the pipeline. Last month, Glendale dedicated a 52-unit senior affordable-housing project and a $23.5 million 65-unit family affordable-housing project that is the largest in the city. ``We denote de·note tr.v. de·not·ed, de·not·ing, de·notes 1. To mark; indicate: a frown that denoted increasing impatience. 2. aggressiveness that we're constantly out there to look for properties and developers to build senior, rental and ownership units,'' City Manager Jim Starbird said. ``I think if you look at the numbers of projects we are pursuing and have pursued and the number of units, I think it reflects that.'' Glendale's push comes as cities around the country increasingly step up affordable-housing efforts to help those priced out Priced out The market has already incorporated information, such as a low dividend, into the price of a stock. of the hot real-estate market. The lion's share of Housing and Urban Development grants received by the city is going to construction or land acquisition - a healthy level of commitment, said Larry Bush, spokesman for HUD's Pacific Hawaii region. ``Glendale is making one of the strongest efforts to see that new housing is built in the community and has devoted well over $14 million in federal funding over the last several years toward that effort,'' Bush said. Jan Breidenbach, executive director of the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Association of Non Profit Housing, said Glendale is going beyond just closing the gap in the housing market. ``That's a commitment: $15 million in a city the size of Glendale is being aggressive compared to other cities,'' said Breidenbach, whose agency represents 500 members in five counties dedicated to the development and management of affordable housing. Based upon population, cities are required to spend state and federal funds Federal Funds Funds deposited to regional Federal Reserve Banks by commercial banks, including funds in excess of reserve requirements. Notes: These non-interest bearing deposits are lent out at the Fed funds rate to other banks unable to meet overnight reserve to build affordable housing and are audited each year on their spending. But Glendale found itself playing a greater role when developers interested in building affordable housing said they were unable to be competitive in a hot real estate market. Property owners wanted 30- to 54-day escrows, developers said, making it impossible for them because it usually takes six to nine months just to get the entitlements for affordable-housing projects. ``They couldn't find adequate sites to purchase and the sites that were out there, owners were asking for quite a bit of money, very short escrow escrow Instrument, such as a deed, money, or property, that constitutes evidence of obligations between two or more parties and is held by a third party. It is delivered by the third party only upon fulfillment of some condition. periods and they were taken up just as they hit the market,'' said Peter Zovak, housing development and preservation administrator Preservation administrators are librarians who are trained in the management of preservation in libraries and archives. The term is often used as a parallel term to conservator, an allied profession that is focused primarily on the corrective repair of artefacts. . ``The Housing Authority can go out there and buy property, then turn around and see how to develop it. It's one of the ways to address this market now.'' The city also is taking the approach that, with stylish Stylish is a free Mozilla extension that allows for the manipulation of web pages and XUL application user interfaces through the use of CSS or user styles available localy or from centralized web-site [1], which allows style sharing. design and architecture, the new developments can help revitalize re·vi·tal·ize tr.v. re·vi·tal·ized, re·vi·tal·iz·ing, re·vi·tal·iz·es To impart new life or vigor to: plans to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods; tried to revitalize a flagging economy. neighborhoods and previously blighted blight n. 1. a. Any of numerous plant diseases resulting in sudden conspicuous wilting and dying of affected parts, especially young, growing tissues. b. properties. The affordable-housing project Metropolitan City Lights - under construction at 1855 S. Brand Blvd. - is the first the city is focusing on revitalizing re·vi·tal·ize tr.v. re·vi·tal·ized, re·vi·tal·iz·ing, re·vi·tal·iz·es To impart new life or vigor to: plans to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods; tried to revitalize a flagging economy. in its generally blighted San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. Redevelopment Area. ``Our projects are typically the best-looking buildings in the neighborhood because they're under the most scrutiny,'' Zovak said. ``Because it's affordable housing doesn't mean it's affordable design.'' And city officials only expect such projects to increase as the city's senior population - about 14 percent of the city's 200,000 total population - is projected to double in the next 20 years. More than 3,500 seniors applied to be considered for an apartment at Heritage Park at Glendale - a 52-unit senior affordable-housing project - and each of the city's senior housing projects has about 2,000 names on their waiting lists, city officials said. ``There's an increase in demand for affordable housing in general - new development or rental assistance,'' Zovak said. ``It's a growing need and we think it's going to increase over time, particularly as we have more demand for housing and the market appears to be continuing to trend upward.'' Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: AFFORDABLE HOUSING SOURCE: Glendale Housing Development and Preservation Office Daily News |
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