Paradise highlights housing recovery: 73 rebuilt homes, 150 completed rental units and new infill program

Colette Curtis, the town’s recovery and economic development director, told the council that housing remains a central part of Paradise’s recovery strategy, listing program results and new initiatives.

Curtis said 73 owner-occupied homes were rebuilt under the reconstruction program using about $11 million in loan assistance and emphasized the program is 100% grant funded. She also said the first-time homebuyer program assisted 105 households in the year and that 150 multifamily units have been completed and leased, with another 142 units under construction.

To address a gap for residents who were renters before the fire and could not access some insurance or FEMA benefits, staff outlined a new infill new-construction program designed to help those households build homes on parcels they now control. “This program helps them do that,” Curtis said, describing it as a response to a gap in prior recovery programs.

Curtis also noted ongoing monitoring and program administration needs and said staff will bring a resolution in July seeking Opportunity Zone nominations to the governor’s office, which could provide tax incentives for investment if selected.

Council members raised questions about building standards and compliance; staff said loans are structured as a revolving fund (program income is reused for future loans) and that quality-control and code compliance will be enforced through the building review process.

The council did not take immediate action on the housing items at this meeting; staff said they will return with details and implementation steps as the programs move forward.