Excess state land: development of affordable housing.

Existing law establishes the Department of General Services (DGS) in the Government Operations Agency for purposes of, among other things, planning, acquiring, constructing, and maintaining state buildings and property. Under existing law, by executive order, the DGS was required to, among other things, create a digitized inventory of all excess state land, create screening tools for prioritizing affordable housing development on excess state land, and issue requests for proposals for and select affordable housing developments on excess state land, as described. Specifically, Executive Order No. N-06-19 (E.O. N-06-19) required the DGS to create a digitized inventory of excess state land no later than April 30, 2019, and required the DGS, the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) , and the California Housing Finance Agency to collaborate to develop 2 new screening tools for prioritizing affordable housing development on excess state land no later than March 29, 2019. This bill would require the DGS to develop, in consultation with the HCD, no later than September 1, 2023, a set of criteria to consistently evaluate state-owned parcels for suitability as affordable housing sites. The bill would also require, on or before July 1, 2024, and every 4 years thereafter, the DGS to, among other things, conduct a review of all state-owned property and identify state-owned parcels that are potentially viable for affordable housing based on those criteria. The bill would require the DGS to update the digitized inventory created pursuant to E.O. N-06-19 of all excess state land, as defined, suitable for affordable housing identified by its review. The bill would require the DGS and the HCD to evaluate and update the 2 screening tools created pursuant to E.O. N-06-19. This bill would require the DGS, in consultation with the HCD, to pursue the development of affordable housing on excess state properties.The bill would require all state agencies to respond to requests for information from the DGS, as described, and to consider exchanging excess state land with local governments for other parcels for purposes of affordable housing development and preservation. The bill would also require all state agencies to use all existing legal and financial authority to expedite and prioritize developments accepted pursuant to the request for proposal process described in the bill, as specified. The bill would require the DGS to report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, on the status of the excess state properties identified, as specified.