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Board approves reallocations and bond commitment to advance three affordable-housing projects
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved reallocations of federal CDBG and HOME funds, ratified HOME-ARP acceptance, and committed $16.45 million in county housing bond funds to the Orchard Gardens affordable and supportive housing project in Sunnyvale, moving all three projects closer to construction and tax-credit applications.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 26 approved a set of housing finance actions designed to move three affordable-housing projects forward, including reprogramming expiring federal HOME and CDBG dollars and a county bond commitment for Orchard Gardens in Sunnyvale.
County staff told the board that approximately $200,000 in expiring federal HOME funds and about $1.2 million in prior-year CDBG funds would be reallocated toward The Magnolias supportive housing acquisition, reducing the county’s bond commitment for that project and freeing bond resources for other shovel‑ready proposals. Separately, the board ratified actions to accept a one-time HOME-ARP award the county was previously offered and approved a recommendation to commit up to $16,450,000 in Measure A affordable housing bond funds to Orchard Gardens, a previously approved Sunnyvale project that was defunded by an earlier developer and is now proposed for acquisition by the housing authority.
Natalie Monk, the county’s housing and community development division manager, said the CDBG/HOME reprogramming would avoid a substantial amendment and that reallocating those federal dollars would “reduce the county’s housing bond commitment and make those funds available for another shovel ready project.” KJ Kaminski, director of the Office of Supportive Housing, noted the county recently won tax credit awards and a Homekey Plus award that boosted its ability to pair multiple funding sources for projects.
Board members praised staff for the strategy of using reallocated federal funds alongside housing bond and state awards to maximize the county’s limited housing resources. No public commenters addressed the hearing on the Magnolia/CDBG/HOME amendment. The board voted unanimously to approve the CDBG/HOME amendment, ratify the HOME-ARP grant amendment, and delegate authority to the county executive to finalize legal documents for the Orchard Gardens funding package.
What the board approved - Reprogramming of approximately $1.2 million in prior-year CDBG funds and roughly $200,000 in expiring HOME funds to the Magnolia affordable and supportive housing acquisition. - Ratification of the HOME-ARP grant amendment and acceptance of the county’s HOME-ARP award. - Delegation of authority to the county executive to negotiate and execute legal documents to commit up to $16,450,000 in Measure A bond funds to Orchard Gardens, enabling a tax-credit application and acquisition by the housing authority.
Why it matters: The actions are part of a county strategy to layer federal, state and local funding—tax credits, Homekey awards, HOME-ARP and Measure A—so more projects can clear financing gaps and proceed to construction. County staff said these reallocations and the Orchard Gardens commitment are intended to preserve previously approved shovel-ready projects and free other bond funds for new priorities.
What’s next: With the funding commitment in place, Orchard Gardens’ sponsors are expected to submit a competitive tax-credit application; further legal documents will be executed by the county executive under the board’s delegation.
