National City greenlights consultant to pursue for‑sale homeownership on city parcels

The National City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 14 to hire a consultant to manage an RFQ/RFP process to study and, if feasible, develop city‑owned parcels into affordable for‑sale homes.

City staff told the council the work is intended to explore multiple models — including deed‑restricted ownership and rental‑equity approaches — and to test market responses. "We've conglomerated these parcels, which haven't been looked at for years," said Mr. Geary, the staff lead on the item. He said the housing authority has already invested nearly $500,000 of non‑city funds into feasibility work and proposes a consultant scope of roughly $90,000 to complete environmental, zoning and financial analysis.

The consultant engagement is designed to yield a draft RFP in March, followed by proposal evaluations in summer and potential awards in the fall, staff said. "We're looking at those models and we hope to produce anywhere from 100 to 200 units," Geary said, adding that six parcels are currently under consideration.

Councilmembers asked for clarity about unit counts, timelines and the risk of displacement. Council Member 34 said she wanted to be explicit that the work remains exploratory: "We are not saying we are going to construct 200 homes and then put them up for sale; there is still a lot to investigate," she said. Staff responded the RFP and subsequent developer proposals will determine what is feasible on each site.

The motion to proceed with the consultant and RFQ/RFP process passed unanimously. The council directed staff to return with the draft RFP and to involve councilmembers during evaluation and selection.

Next steps: staff will finish due diligence, circulate a draft RFP for council review in March, and return with evaluation results later in the year.