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County revises tax‑defaulted properties pilot after 13 RFP responses; only one met thresholds
Summary
County staff told the Health Committee that its $3 million Measure A1 tax‑defaulted properties program drew 13 applications but only one met predevelopment thresholds; staff proposed simplified eligibility, site reselection and required partnerships with prequalified developers to make small parcels viable for affordable housing.
Alameda County Housing and Community Development presented an update on the Tax Defaulted Properties Program and proposed revisions intended to make small, tax‑defaulted parcels feasible for affordable housing development.
Staff described the program as a $3,000,000 investment from Measure A1’s Innovation and Opportunity Fund to support acquisition and predevelopment of tax‑defaulted parcels that emerge from the Chapter 8 property sale process. The department said the first phase launched in November 2024, produced 13 property applications from 11 applicants, but only one proposal met the county’s minimum requirements and received a conditional predevelopment loan. That award went to Kingdom Builders Christian Fellowship Ministries in partnership with Community Housing Development Corporation; staff later added an adjacent parcel at 793 MacArthur Boulevard to the project.
Staff explained why many proposals failed: infeasible budgets, unrealistic service plans, limited developer capacity, lack of technical expertise and the long transactional lag and liability exposure associated with Chapter 8 sales. Presenters said the county will radically simplify program requirements, reselect 2–4 sites optimal for development, require emerging developers to partner with a prequalified developer pool, and retain Hello Housing as a technical assistance provider to support chosen projects through predevelopment and permitting.
Supervisor Tam asked about the statutory timeline for tax default and title transfer; Casey Farmer, a policy adviser to the Treasurer‑Tax‑Collector’s office, clarified that properties become defaulted after five years of delinquency and are eligible for the Chapter 8 sale process in year six. Farmer added that the Treasurer’s office can write down some liens at sale to reduce acquisition costs for nonprofits and urged acceptance of staff recommendations.
The committee accepted the informational report and staff said a technical assistance grant for the tax‑defaulted properties program is likely to return to the committee in June for further action and an implementation plan.
