The California Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it has teamed
with the California Department of Housing and Community Development to make
it easier to purchase surplus state properties for affordable housing
projects, a news release stated.

New Web information — available at www.dot.ca.gov/property or
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 toward
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,” Business, Transportation and Housing
Agency Secretary Dale E. Bonner stated.

According to a BT&H Agency news release, Caltrans has been working to
identify and dispose of surplus properties originally acquired as part of
transportation projects, but that are no longer needed for that purpose.

“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, the
release stated — 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.