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City releases updated housing needs assessment; land bank reports 71 properties sold, CHIP incentives under way
Summary
Director Kim Froen presented a new housing needs assessment completed in late 2024 that updates priorities for the next 3–4 years; the Pittsburg Land Bank reported 71 properties sold since 2015 with 43 homes built/planned, and the City Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) provides builders a 10% reimbursement up to $20,000 per unit.
City housing staff presented an updated housing needs assessment on Nov. 12 that officials said will guide grant applications, developer outreach and policy priorities over the next 3–4 years.
Director Kim Froen said Novogradic completed the assessment in late 2024 following stakeholder outreach with more than 90 participants. The study identifies priority target markets: extremely low‑ and low‑income renters, first‑time home buyers, existing owners seeking to downsize or upgrade, commuters and new residents. Froen said the city typically updates the assessment every four years to keep the data fresh for planning and funding purposes.
Froen reviewed the Pittsburg Land Bank, noting it began in 2015. Since opening, the land bank has sold 71 properties; 43 of those sales have resulted in homes built on the lots, and staff said an additional nine homes are under construction under the CHIP (City Housing Incentive Program) partnership. Froen described CHIP as an incentive that reimburses builders 10% of verified construction costs up to a maximum of $20,000 to encourage infill single‑family construction for low‑ and moderate‑income buyers. She said the fund initially had a balance north of $600,000 and $500,000 has been allocated to the CHIP account to pay incentives; the program is structured as a revolving fund that receives property‑tax revenue back over time to replenish incentives.
Meghan Keener, assistant director of housing, gave program metrics for the Pittsburg Public Housing Authority: the authority houses about 200–300 families monthly, roughly 278 children and about 145 elderly or disabled individuals; security deposit assistance helped about 126 households (303 individuals) from 2024–25; the authority received a new $100,000 award for 2025 and launched a foster‑youth‑to‑independence program assisting young adults aging out of foster care.
Commissioners asked about land trusts, development agreements, board terms and possibilities for pocket parks on land bank lots; Froen said development agreements can require building within a year and that each sale or donated lot is reviewed by the land bank board to ensure productive reuse.
