Lack of Land Still Thwarts Affordable

Archuleta: “A partnership with a private land owner allows you to reuse existing land for a better purpose.”

IRVINE, CA—While one of the obstacles to developing affordable housing is the difficulty in securing funding, by far the biggest obstacle is the lack of available land, Jamboree Housing’s president Laura Archuleta tells GlobeSt.com. Jamboree and the Garden Grove United Methodist Church recently broke ground on Wesley Village, an innovative, multi-use urban campus in Garden Grove, CA, encompassing multigenerational affordable housing as well as educational, social and health services that will be available to the larger community. A public/private venture, the campus is being developed on 2.2 acres of the church’s excess parking space and vacant land that, together, create the site for two three-story multifamily buildings that will include 47 affordable apartments for 31 working families and 16 senior households. We spoke exclusively with Archuleta about public/private partnerships, lack of land and mixed-use campuses.

GlobeSt.com: How could public/private partnerships like Wesley Village help with the lack of land for affordable housing?